


October Skies

by TheBigBlamTheory



Series: Epic Blam Tale [4]
Category: Glee
Genre: Blam, Drama, F/M, Gen, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-24 16:41:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10745694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBigBlamTheory/pseuds/TheBigBlamTheory
Summary: Everybody has a mission in life and Sam is busy finding his very own. He takes a time out from New York to reconnect with his family. But what if he realises his future isn't in the Big Apple? What does that mean for him and Blaine?





	1. Long Distance Once Again

 

**October Skies**

 

Chaper 1: Long Distance Once Again

Sunday, September 27th 2016, 35 days until Halloween

 

Sam had said he would get used to living in the biggest city but somehow he wasn't. Every day he noticed the bad air, the noise, the traffic, the uselessness of a thousand stores in that could be bought the same things, the selfishness of the people and their ignorance towards suffering people like Herman the homeless guy from the fifth avenue and the general unease of living in a more than crowded place.

He only realized that wasn't what he wanted when he stepped out of the airport in Cincinnati and took a deep breath of the same air his family breathed. Man, he hadn't seen his parents in so long, and his siblings, how would they have grown by now?

Midsummer was over and Sam wasn't married. He glanced at his left hand as he picked up his bag from the ground to get into the greyhound bus. The hand where his engagement ring sparkled. He was nineteen, still a boy who had only left home and was trying to stand on his own two feet so how could he get married already? Sometimes when he lay awake at night he even wondered if he was still the same person that he had been a year ago.

Sam settled into a seat in the bus and got out his phone.

To Blaine: _I've landed_

Then he plug his earpieces in and listened to music while keeping his eyes shut. He didn't need to see the grey clouds on the sky. What would it be like to live with his parents again? His dad would say 'I told you so'. But Sam could bear it like a man. (Probably.)

And why was he  _the only one_ who didn't know what he wanted to do with his life? Like, Kurt had managed to get another internship at Vogue and was thinking about changing schools to study fashion design. Rachel had her TV show. Sure, it was running at six a.m. and was about gossip but she was getting somewhere. And Blaine…

" _You're barely even here."_

Sam bit his lip. No, he wouldn't think of that.

" _Well, yeah, I've got my projects. It's not like I want to spend so much time away…"_

" _I'm going to go to NYADA too so we can be together every day again. Like in High School."_

Sam sighed and opened his eyes. He could count the hours he had seen Blaine in the last months on, like, three hands. It hadn't been enough, they hadn't had time for trips or romantic evenings or even unromantic evenings, much less wedding planning, and to make things worse Blaine then had gotten that stupid mentor woman that wanted him to sleep on the stage or whatever he did when he was away all those nights.

" _Let's move the wedding up for just a bit_ ", Sam mimicked his fiancé. Of course he had known it was important to Blaine to get to Broadway. But was sacrificing his whole love life really worth it? This dull woman had gotten more of Blaine than Sam, well, good for her to be a famous artist-whatever-bla but Sam was important, too, wasn't he?

" _Just now I need to put effort into my education, can't you understand? It's important for my career, and it won't be forever like that, Sam."_

And where Sam would have swallowed down his next words a year ago they now had come out without even asking for his permission.

" _Where do I fit in with your busy career then?"_

Sam pressed his forehead against the cold window. Crowded streets and racing cars. Still it was quieter than New York, and more normal. More human.

Blaine hadn't answered. That was the worst of it all. He had just looked away.

The dreaded thing had happened.  _Career_ . What an ugly word.

So naturally Sam had decided to get one himself. Apparently in the world they lived in career was something like a lover, the one you spend your precious time with and what you put the most effort in to make it work.

Yeah, he knew he sounded bitter. Still. Going home was the only option for now. Clear his head and stuff. Because he actually really,  _really_ needed to make up his mind about what he wanted to do with his life. Sure, he had some money from the song-publication last year but that wouldn't last forever. And he had to have a mission in life, everybody had, right? When he had found it he sure would understand how Blaine got so worked up about a job.

Also, the next day Blaine would head out to Rhode Island for a  _week_ and Sam wasn't in the mood to spend his days alone in the apartment (or worse, with Sebastian)

Sam arrived at his parents house at eight in the evening when it was already getting dark. The summer was over, what a pity. It would take so long until the next one came.

 

At exactly ten he managed to be alone in his (not at all changed) room and booted his computer. One click later he saw that Blaine was online. Sam's stomach wasn't quite sure what to feel since it made an excited loop and then sat down on the ground, arms crossed and denying to feel any affection.

"So? How's Kentucky?"

Sam stared at the screen, looking for the right words. It wasn't easy, it never was, and somehow he had to think of last September when they had been in the exact same position. Separated by hundred and thousands of miles.

"I'm sorry we had to part like that, Sam."

"Mh, me too."

That was unfair, Blaine should not be allowed to look so sorry yet cute and cuddleable at the same time!

"You didn't even kiss me goodbye." Blaine pouted, and that was it. Sam glided to the front of the chair and cramped his hands around the computer screen.

"I'm so sorry, babe! I was so mad. I swear it won't happen again. But I was so disappointed, you didn't answer!"

"I know", Blaine sighed. "Because I didn't know what to say. And I've been thinking about it ever since. We will find a way, Sam, we will make it work, okay?"

"Okay!" Sam's eyes watered up. Of course they would! They would never break up, never, not because of stupid things like a career but also not because of anything else. Never!

"I love you so much", Sam said.

"I love you, too."

Sam wiped over his eyes. "Blaine… it's all so stupid."

"It is, it really is. But at least we have each other, right?"

"Yes." Sam laid a hand on the screen and Blaine did the same.

"How long will you be away?" Blaine asked.

"Only for the week", Sam said. "I will go visit Finn in Lima and he will help me figure out what to do with my life and then I come back to New York and we get it on."

Blaine chuckled. "Sounds like a plan."

"It is a plan!"

 

Blaine

 

When Blaine disconnected from Skype he leaned back in the desk chair and sighed. In Sam's mind things were so easy. Sadly, life didn't always go along with it. But maybe this time it would? Maybe when Blaine came back from his experience-week in Brown Sam would be back, too, and knew what it was that his heart longed for.

The apartment felt empty without Sam and he wasn't even gone for a day. Sure, the big orange pumpkins and the black plastic bats on the wall were a memory of Sam's presence here, as well as the fat wedding file and the bride magazines on the table. Especially the last ones were a sign of hope. They would make it and live happily ever after, of that Blaine was sure. If the road got tough, well, so be it. But they would make it through.

They weren't like Cooper and Martina, for example. The couple had married and their baby, Piper Rome Anderson, was only a few months old but they were in a serious fight already. Blaine knew it from his mum because Martina was living at the Anderson's right now. It had seemed strange at first but then Blaine had learned that their fight was about Martina wanting to move to Lima so her child would have grandparents while Cooper on the other hand didn't want to leave L.A. because he still was working on getting famous.

Blaine wasn't like his brother, right? He would realise when the moment to give up and prioritize was there. But he had only started his education, had a mentor who thought much of him and his classes were going well. He had a chance to make it in New York and he wanted to use it. He only needed to look at Rachel to remember himself that he would never stop trying. Not that Rachel had stopped. But she hadn't gone back to school and chosen TV over education. It didn't work for her and she didn't even have a boyfriend who she had to consider in her time schedule.

The doorbell pulled Blaine out of his thoughts.

"Going away partyyy!" Sebastian cried when he entered the apartment. Blaine was in the living room again, browsing through a bride's magazine.

"I'm only going away for one week."

"Tell Sam, because I bet everything I have he will be on my heels the whole week, whining over how lonely he is without you." Sebastian put a bottle onto the table and went into the kitchen. When he came back he brought three glasses and a bottle opener with him. He put the things on the table, got out of his jacket and threw it over the rest of the armchair.

"Sam's not here", Blaine informed him. "He's in Kentucky, visiting his family."

Sebastian took up the bottle. "What, even when you're still here?"

"It kind of was a short circle reaction", Blaine admitted.

"Wait, for real?" Sebastian stopped his actions and frowned at Blaine.

"We fought."

"Oh. Damn. What if one of you gets into a car accident and dies? The last words you have heard were 'I don't love you anymore!'. Shame on you."

The bottle opened and Sebastian filled two glasses with sparkling cider.

"We didn't say that! And anyway, no one will die! Gosh, Sebastian."

"Hey, you know and love my overly dramatic personality."

"I do know it, yeah", Blaine sighed. He took one glass and drank a few gulps of it. Oh, it was good.

"A toast to your career?" Sebastian asked.

Blaine looked at Sebastian and drank on. Until the glass was empty. Then he held it to him and Sebastian grinningly filled it up again.

"That's my boy."

"I'm not your boy."

"Just drink up."

One hour later.

"No, you will not drunk dial Sam!" Sebastian tried to get Blaine's phone.

"But I miiisss him! So much!"

"Give me… argh!" Sebastian managed to get the phone and Blaine broke down on the couch, hugging a pillow.

"The boy would get into the car and drive the night through", Sebastian mumbled while he occupied with Blaine's phone.

"Ugh, even your private conversations are the most disgusting, sickly-sweet texts", he said. “Doesn’t that get exhausting?”

"I miss him."

"I easily could write him things like…" Sebastian looked into the air for a while, then he threw the phone on the table.

"Screw it, I can't think of anything evil to do to you two."

"Sam's my fluff bunny."

"Please tell me you don't call him that during sex."

"Fluff bunny." Blaine grinned and rubbed his face against the pillow. With his eyes closed he could easily imagine it as Sam's chest, expecially since it smelled like him. Oh, Sammy…

 

Monday, September 28th, 34 days until Halloween

 

Clotted blood was thrusting through Blaine's head and he immadiately knew he had been drunk. He opened his eyes and closed them again, holding his hand in front of them. Too bright. Who had turned on the lights?

And who was talking? What was this quite but constant buzzing? Was it in his head or… wait. He was sitting in a chair, not lying in his bed.

Blaine pulled down his hand and forced his eyes open, and they stayed open from there on. He sat in one of many rows with other people, and two stewardesses were pushing a carriage along the middle aisle.

"How did I get here?" Blaine wondered.

"Do you want something to drink?" A blonde stewardess asked him and his neighbours.

"Yes, I take a coke and I think my friend here would like some water."

Blaine looked to his right, where a classmate received the ordered drinks for them. Other classmates were around them. He was on the plane to Rhode-Island.

"How did I get here?" Blaine asked as Steve gave him a bottle of water.

"What do you mean?"

"Well… how did I get here? Did someone carry me?"

Steve stared at him. "What?"

"Then what?" Blaine asked irritaded.

"Uh, you walked in? And to the airport you came with a cab. Although I heard the rumor that the cab driver did have to wake you up."

"That… can't be."

"Man, how much did you drink yesterday?" Steve chuckled.

Blaine sighed, leaned back and drank his water. What a great start to a school project… that would get scored, nonetheless. NYADA did nothing for fun.

 

Sam

 

"Already tired of the Big Apple?" Finn asked the moment he saw Sam.

"Nice to see you too!"

They hugged shortly and firmly, like real men did, and then Sam looked up the building they were standing in front of.

"So this is your college."

Finn hit Sam's shoulder. "Come one, let's go drink a beer. I know just the place."

"Okay but remember you want to tell me all about how you found your live’s mission."

Finn nodded earnestly and started to walk away from the dorm house along a windy way on the campus of Lima College. He now was in the second year of his postgraduate course for becoming a teacher, something that sounded really meaningful.

"Sure, can do. When I was a little boy…"

"Do you still coach Glee club?" Sam inerrupted him.

"No, that was last year's internship. I can't spend all of my time at my old High School", Finn said. "I'm a grown-up now."

"Mh, yeah, cool", Sam nodded. The way was surrounded by green lawn sprinkled with red and orange leaves that fell from the trees. It was somewhat windy, yet still warm enough to be outside without a jacket. Students were walking along or sitting on benches, and they all looked  _so_ clever!

"Are you dating someone?" he asked.

"I though you wanted to hear my story?"

"That too, yes."

"When I was a little boy I wanted to be exactly like my father who I never knew", Finn said.

"Tragic", Sam sighed. He wondered if he was boring because he knew both of his parents and wasn't stroken by loss at a young age already.

"He was a war hero…"

"Cool."

"Or so I thought. Turned out he wasn't but I went to the army nonetheless."

"So brave", Sam breathed.

"Would you stop it with the comments, man? I'm trying to concentrate. Oh, here we are."

They reached the end of the campus and entered the side walk of a main road. Only a few steps down they stood in front of an Irish Pub and Finn put his hand on the oaken door's handle.

"This, my friend, is what adult life looks like!" He started to go in but then hesitated and turned to Sam. "You are eightteen, right?"

"I'm nineteen", Sam said. "But isn't the drinking age…"

"Oh, don't worry, my friend, don't worry. We're in Ohio, after all." And with that, Finn pushed the door fully open.

Merry music filled the air as Sam followed Finn. It smelled of alcohol and sweat, and everywhere people were laughing and talking. And there where girls everywhere, blonde, brunette and red-heads, all gorgeous, all looking like they were having the time of their lives.

"Wow", Sam said. "That's what being at college is like?"

"Yup." Finn headed straight to the bar and ordered two beer. Sam followed him slowly, still looking around.

"I kind of miss girls", he mumbled.

"Here, you don't need to miss them. Just turn around and one will be there for you."

"Uh, I have a boyfriend."

"Oh. Right. How's that going?"

Sam grinned and held up his hand with the engagement ring.

"Pretty good, I'd say."

"Oh."

"Don't get too excited."

Finn leaned against the counter and shrugged.

"No, it's just, I've been there. Getting engaged at a young age…" He shrugged again and received two beer mugs. One he put in front of Sam, then he got out his wallet.

"It's different with Blaine and me", Sam said.

Finn gave a ten dollar bill to the bar keeper. After he got the change he put his wallet into his pocket.

"You mean because you love each other so much and want to stay together forever, but one of you has big plans to get famous on broadway while the other one is more of a country boy and not sure what to do with his life so he just does the next best thing?"

"Uh…" Sam rubbed his nose. "If you put it that way…"

"I'm not saying anything, man. You need to live your own life and make your own decisions", Finn said. "Just be sure you do make your own decisions."

He held up his glass, Sam nudged it with his own and they drank some big gulps. Sam maybe one more than Finn. His heart was as heavy as lead when he compared himself and Blaine to Finn and Rachel. Their story was different, and would end differently!

Someone tipped on his shoulder and Sam looked to the left.

"Haaave you met Ted?" a guy asked. Sam could only frown as the guy pulled a giggling girl to them.

"Actually, my name is Theodora", she said. “But everybody calls me Teddy.”

"Uh, hi", Sam said.

"And you are…?"

"Sam?"

She giggled again. The guy who had introduced her had already vanished and Finn sat there with an amused smile on his lips.

A weird narrow feeling crept up Sam's throat that could only described as panic. He threw his hand in front of her face.

"I'm engaged."

"Relax, I just want one dance", Teddy said, holding up her finger.

"No!"

"Sam", Finn said in a pacifying voice.

"We came here to talk", Sam said. "And instead you're trying to make me cheat on Blaine? Not cool!"

Sam put his beer on the counter and got up.

Outside he put his arms around himself, looked into the blue sky and tried to ignore the fact that he was trembling.

"Dude, what the hell?" Finn came out, too, and Sam could only shake his head. He knew he had overreated but still.

"Not cool", he repeated.

"What is going on?" Finn asked.

"Nothing."

"Would Blaine mind if you enjoy yourself? Because if so…"

"No, he wouldn't!" Sam exclaimed. He started walking down the road where they had come from to get his head clear. Stupid beer, he shouldn't have drunken those three gulps.

"Then what?" Finn followed Sam and asked the questions that Sam didn't want to ask himself.

They reached the campus and the noises from the street got quieter. Sam took a deep breath and sat down on an empty bench. Finn remained standing and looked questioningly at him.

"I'm afraid…" Sam said when he finally glanced up. "I'm afraid I could like it, okay? I'm only human."

"Oh." Finn bit his lip.

"And I don't want to be the bi one who can't keep it in his pants. That's what everybody thinks, anyway. But they are wrong, they have to be."

Finn sat down and threw Sam a pityful glance. Sam on the other hand hadn't even known he thought like this but now he couldn't keep the words in anymore; they just kept coming.

"I love Blaine and I want to be faithful to him like he is faithful to me. I love touching him, smelling him, sexing him up…"

"I don't need to know the details."

"…and I love to dig in his round, juicy, perfect booty." Sam formed some curves with his hands into the air.

"Sam, you're making me uncomfortable."

"But girls have breasts, Finn."

"I noticed."

Sam sighed and leaned against the back of the bench.

"Well, there's only one solution for your problem, obviously", Finn said.

"Yeah?"

"Have a threesome."

Sam stared at Finn but Finn's face remained serious.

"I mean it", he said. "Not with a friend, call a hooker. But do it."

Sam frowned and watched the buildings lining up along the way. What the heck? Finn was a crazy person, so crazy! They wouldn not call a hooker, come on. Sam wouldn't even tell Blaine about this conversation because Blaine would feel as if he wasn't enough for Sam and that simply wasn't true. Right?

 

_ Coming up:  _ Blaine meets an old friend at Brown (guess who!) and Sam doesn't like it. Blaine however doesn't like Sam's decision regarding colleges and they get into a fight.

 


	2. Rhode-Island Miracle

Brown wasn't even an university of the arts. They had a Glee club, though, and Blaine and his fellow students were sitting in the choir room (with its high walls it reminded Baine of Dalton) with them and discussed the program of their experience-week since one hour already. They hadn't checked in a hotel or gotten a break, they've come straight here and Blaine had a feeling that the up-coming week wouldn't get any less exhausting.

His head was hurting like hell. He drank from his water bottle, tried to keep up with the discussion and not fall asleep while all he wished for was an aspirin and a bed.

There was a girl who reminded Blaine of Tina, except that she wore way more make-up and had a louder voice and more demands than Tina had ever dared to utter, which really meant something.

"You are our guests so you don't really have a say in the programme", she informed the unofficial NYADA leader Kenzie.

Of course their teachers had shoved them into the room and then gone to drink a caffee or talk movies or whatever teachers did when they had gotten rid of their students.

"We are your guests, exactly", Kenzie said. "We came here to give the best we can do and create a fantastic performance. I think it's only fair when you consider our suggestions for the songs we'll sing."

The Brownies gathered in a circle and whispered among each other. Kenzie on the other hand winked at his team and calmly got out his phone.

Blaine didn't care what they would sing. He prayed that he had locked the apartment and not done something stupid like giving Sebastian a spare key. He also hadn't talked to Sam yet and was looking forward to doing that in the evening.

Finally they all agreed on a set list and took an official break. Blaine went to one of the huge windows and got out his phone but before he could check for texts someone adressed him.

"Are you actually ignoring me, Blaine Devon Anderson?"

Surprised by the use of his middle name Blaine looked up. The leader girl from Brown stood there, arms crossed and eyebows lifted and Blaine squinted his tired eyes.

"Tina…? Is it really you? I thought… I mean you look different…"

"Oh, come here, you!"

She pulled him in an abrupt hug. Blaine patted her back, trying to think back of the last time they had met. Hadn't they parted on not the best terms…?

"We haven't seen each other in so long! You need to tell me everything. Are you living in New York now? Oh, oh, are you back together with Kurt?"

She clabbed her hands and grabbed his arm, checking out his engagement ring.

"Oh! Again? Blaine!" Tina giggled and playfully hit his shoulder.

Blaine refused to put away his phone so his fingers remained clasped around it.

"When's the wedding? Are you already thinking about children?"

"No, Tina, don't be ridiculous", Blaine said. "We've hardly enough time to…"

"Oh, I will show you around Brown. You will meet all of my friends! I'm in a fraternity, isn't that great?"

"Yeah, that's…"

"Ooooh, I've missed you. It's so good to see you." And she hugged him again.

Then the break was over and Blaine had to get back to his group. He took one minute though to send a quick text.

To Sam: _crazy coincident, met Tina here! Flight was good, I miss you! Talk tonight? Xxx_

 

Sam

 

"So you're saying you went to college because Marley said you should."

"No, that's not…"

"I simply call her and ask her about my life and I will be a happy man."

"No, Sam, listen…"

"Sounds easy, yeah, thanks for the advice, dude!" Sam patted Finn's shoulder and got out his phone. Before he could look up Marley's number, though, he saw that he had a text from Blaine. While he read it Sam felt his jaw dropping to the earth.

"Tina? What? No!"

He quickly tipped:  _hope u don't talk to her ok miss u 2 yes we can_

"What about Tina?" Finn asked.

They were sitting in the college cafeteria now, drinking non-alcoholic beverages and Finn had spread his college notes in front of them to show Sam what it looked like to actually do things for school. The cafeteria was mainly white and grey, and the students here talked quietly about their own business. From the big windows came enough light so that they didn't have to turn on the arctificial lights yet.

"Blaine met her in Brown."

"How is she?"

"No, that's not what we want to know."

"Why not?"

Sam took a deep breath and told his friend all about senior year. How Tina and Kitty had tried to destroy him and Blaine, and then even gotten away with it.

"Mh", Finn said when the story was finished.

"What?"

"No, it's just…"

Sam crossed his arms. "Go on, wise man, what's your opinion?"

Finn sighed and leaned back. "Okay, look. You were pretty insecure back then, about how Blaine felt for you and everything, and now you're not anymore, right? I mean, maybe holding a grudge won't help you. Let it go, man, and let her be friends with Blaine, and nothing bad will happen."

Sam stared at Finn. The same Finn he had dueled with for girls and football positions and they had partnered up in 'let's-not-study-but-do-something-useless' more often than Sam could count. That very same Finn now gave out grown-up advise, one after the other. Okay, one could argue how mature the threesome-advice was but still… What had happened?

"So being in college actually changes you?" Sam asked. He glanced at the files and papers on the table and a sudden urge shot up to live like that. To be on a way to something, to give everything so in the end he had achieved something meaningful. He once had wanted to go to college but then things had happened and Sam had given up on it without being aware of it.

He wanted to go to college. Oh my God.

"Uhm, Sam?" A waggling hand appeared in front of his eyes. Sam pushed it away.

"Do you… do you think I could be like you?"

"No, man, nobody can. There's only one Finn Hudson in the whole wide world."

"Dumbass! I mean go to college, study without the worst headaches ever and… like… do something with my life?"

"Of course you can."

"But I'm dyslexic."

"So? Ryder is, too, and he got in."

"Got in? Got in to what?" Sam took out his phone and cursed himself for not having checked in with all of his friends regurlarly.

"He and Marley have started here", Finn said. "Didn't you know?"

"Oh, so they finished High School. Man, time flies!"

Sam bit his lip and stared at the notes again. Would he be able to do it, for real? Sure they had turtoring for people with learning disabilities… He could ask Ryder to help him study and… Sam even had an essay ready. Back in High School when he had thought about going to college and had worried he wouldn't make it Blaine had produced a video where everybody from Glee club had said good stuff about Sam. Oh, that had been such a nice gesture, so sweet and cute and…

"Best boyfriend ever", Sam mumbled.

"So, are you trying? As far as I know the move-up procedure for scholarships is still running."

Sam sat up. "Wait, really? For this year, like, for now?"

Finn nodded.

"Yes, okay, let's do it!" Sam didn't need to think about it. He had come to Finn to find his mission in life and that was it! Oh wow, how easy it was!

"What are you going to study then?" Finn asked.

Mh, maybe not  _that_ easy.

 

Blaine

 

It had been the most exhausting day – was it only this morning that Blaine had arrived here? – and he finally fell into bed at nine p.m. His bag sat packed on the floor because really, Blaine didn't have the energy to unpack now.

Of course they had been given rooms to share so he wasn't alone but Gerry was a nice quiet guy who wouldn't bother Blaine. Also, he had made the mistake and exchanged numbers with Tina and his phone was constantly buzzing with her texts. Somehow it didn't feel as good as it had felt in High School when she had been his comfort right after he and Kurt had broken up for the… second or third time? Blaine had to admit that she could be pretty annoying. So he ignored her (for now) and called Sam.

"Babe, guess what!" Sam answered his phone.

"Mh, don't know…" Blaine mumbled, nose burried in the newly washed pillow. Why didn't it smell like Sam? He turned and faced the wall.

"I have found my mission in life! I told you, Finn would help me!"

"Oh, great."

"He told me all about his studies and that it was a general thing to get a teacher license and he can specify on subjects after the second year and isn't that perfect? I don't even have to choose for now. We already filled out an application…"

Blaine's dizziness vanished and he jerked up. "Wait, what?"

"I know, fantastic, isn't it?"

"You applied to what? The college Finn is going to?"

"Yes."

"In Lima?"

"Don't worry, we can totally pull the long distance thing, remember?"

Blaine massaged his temple while his heart fell down, down, and hit the ground.

"We did it for three months and it was terrible. Now we're talking about three  _years_ , Sam."

Hot tears came up. Sam had applied without even asking Blaine? Without hesitating a minute, without thinking about what it would mean for them? How could he do this?

"You will have to move, and I will have to find a new roommate", Blaine said, blinking frantically.

"I…"

"You will have a life there and I here", Blaine said.

"We'll see each other all the time!"

"How so? It's an eight hour car ride."

"It's… I… haven't quite made out the details…"

"We might as well break up."

Blaine bit his lip, shit. "I didn't…"

"Why do you have to be so melodramatic? Why can't you be happy for me?" Sam said. "I have found something I want to do, and I have a chance of doing it. Not for money but something that means a lot to me."

"I thought you didn't want to go to college."

"I once did but I thought I couldn't do it. You even made a video for me, remember? But then I thought about how I would have to study and I'm too dumb for that and I didn't apply, and then my father gave me a job, and then I thought money can be made easier and I wanted to be with you so bad…" Sam took a deep breath.

"Look, all I'm saying is that I need to think of myself once in a while."

"There are colleges in New York as well."

Blaine rubbed over his eyes and didn't dare to look over to Gerry, and he managed not to sub while he waited for Sam's answer.

"It's just… I have friends here and…"

"And you don't have friends in New York?" Blaine said. "Did you even once stop to think about us?"

"Blaine, please…"

"Well, have fun thinking about yourself then." Blaine interrupted the conversation, switched off his phone and threw himself onto the bed, letting his tears run freely.

 

Tuesday, September 29th, 32 days until Halloween

Sam

 

Daylight crept into the room around seven. Sam got up and pulled open the curtains, staring at the familiar street. The leaves of the trees were yellow, and Mrs Schmitz from the house opposite walked her retriver down the road.

Sam had thought he'd never sleep in this room again yet here he was. It hadn't changed. The shelf with all those games he had stolen from Finn was there, also the DVDs from downstairs that he had sworn himself to bring back to the living room and his old school books.

Mr and Mrs Hummel-Hudson had actually been happy to see him and let him use the guest room again, they had even referred to it as 'his' room.

They also had been happy for his decision to go to college and offered him to stay with them, since the dorm rooms were no place for 'a boy like him'. (Whatever that meant.) Finn was visiting here very often, too, so it wasn't the worst idea.

Except that Blaine would hate Sam if he went to live in Lima.

"Seriously, I thought he would support me, he never has done anything but", Sam said as he went into Finn's room. The boy was still lying in bed so Sam went to open his curtains and let the autumn sun in.

"I mean lately we've barely seen each other anyway", Sam went on. He sat down on Finn's bed and shook he sleeping boy.

"So what's the matter if we see each other only on the weekends? It's not like things have been different in the last weeks."

"How late?"

"His career is important but mine isn't?"

Finn pulled the blanket over his head.

"Finally I found something, you know, so you would think…"

"Five more minutes."

"I  _do_ have to care about my education! Why is he making me feel bad for that?"

"Give him time" Finn mumbled.

Sam shook his head and got up. In the kitchen he took milk out of the fridge and drank it while looking out of the window.

"Maybe it's the stress of having seen Tina", he said.

"What are you mumbling over there?" Burt asked. He was sitting on the table, reading the news paper and eating a sandwich with green leaves on it.

"Okay, look. I have told Blaine about my mission in life and all he does is being angry and hanging up on me!" Sam complained. He turned to Burt and waited for comforting words like 'Blaine has always been one of the slow ones but he'll get to it'.

Burt said nothing the like.

"You told him on the phone that you want to move a thousand miles away from him? Are you nuts?"

"Uhm…" Sam scratched his head.

"A few months ago I got an invitation to your wedding, and then the note telling me it was moved up for an unspecific amount of time but I should keep my agenda clear because 'it could happen any minute now'. How would you have reacted if he had told you out of the blue that he would move to Canada for a few years because he's got a role in a play there?"

"Canada? Why Canada?"

"Not the point, Sam."

Sam sat down opposite to Burt and thought about it. "Honestly, Mr HH, I would have said I'll come with him then."

"So you expect Blaine to cancel his NYADA engagement and move back home so you can go to college here?"

"Uh, no, of course not… I mean… We can see each other on the weekends."

Burt raised his eyebrows.

"We can meet up in the middle!" Sam said. "So everybody has only four hours to drive."

Sam stared at the table. Blaine didn't own a car. Damn, he really hadn't thought it through. Of course long distance wasn't the best thing there was – Sam remembered very well how painful it had been last year – but what else could they do?

Sam buried his face in his hands. What on earth was he thinking? It would kill him to be away from Blaine, and the other way round. And there he was, calling Blaine to present him facts instead of asking if it was possible to somehow make it.

"Shiiit, I'm such an ass", he said, one hand on his forehead while resting the ellbow on the table.

"Just call him and…"

"Don’t you know Blaine? He'll be pouting and not answering my calls the whole day, maybe even week! No, there's only one way to go at it."

Sam jumped up, threw a hurried "thank you" at Burt and ran up the stairs. Luckily he hadn't unpacked his bag yet.

 

Six hours later Sam took a deep breath of the rainy air as he stepped outside.  _Lord bless modern technology_ , he thought and went straight to an arriving cab. If it wasn't for it he'd still be in Ohio, crying over his own stupidness.

"Come on, hurry up!" Sam told the old woman and her little grand-daughter who got out of the cab. As soon as they were out he got in and impatiently waited for the driver to finish unloading the trunk.

It took him one hour to do so, seriously.

"Well, well. Ain't it a rainy day", the driver said as he got in and closed the door.

"Brown University, fast!" Sam ordered him. Yet the driver didn't start the car. He put his hands on the wheel and turned around to Sam.

"Bit in a hurry, are we?"

"Yes! So!" Sam gestured to get it on. Stupid driver chuckled before he finally did. And when the car started to roll…

"Stop!" Sam called. The driver turned around again, even though he kept driving.

"What?"

"There is a flower store. I have to buy roses!"

"Oh, need to apologize to someone special?"

"How do you know that?"

"I have a sixth sense. Relax. I bring you to a good store."

"But no extra turns! I need to get to Brown very quickly okay?"

"Sure, sure."

 

One hour later Sam arrived at the gates of the precious university. He had his backpack thrown over his shoulder and a bouquet of red roses in the other hand as he walked up to the info stand.

"Where is the choir room for the Glee club?" he asked the girl behind the counter.

"We don't have a Glee club" she said with a bored voice and without looking up from her computer.

Sam froze. Had he understood something wrong and Blaine had gone to another university? Here he was, literally thousands of miles away from home, and he was wrong. Disaster had stroken. The gods had forsaken him. His whole life might depend on this very moment and he had srewed it up so badly his non-existing grandchildren would… well not exist because of this stupid, incapable, totally chaotic brain of his. His wedding would go down in pieces. His heart would…

"We have, however, the well choreographed dancing and singing group 'Bells All Over Town'!" She turned around in her chair and threw a pamphlet in front of Sam.

"Are you alright? You look pale. Oh, lovely!" She eyed the roses while Sam stared at her, trying to find his heart beat again.

"Do you think this is funny?"

"What do you mean?"

"Not funny!" Sam took the pamphlet, ignored all questions about the roses and went away as quickly as he could.

Thankfully he found the room after a few minutes since it was signposted and on the ground level. When he stood in front of the door he heard music and singing and thought it was the best idea to wait outside until they were done. It was seven pm, surely they would finish soon. He went to the panorama windows and sat down on the sill.

Another hour later he started worrying about the roses. Sure, everybody who passed by thought they were really nice but they didn't have water and surely would wither soon. Why didn't the not-Glee-club take a break? And what if Sam sat here waiting and Blaine was somewhere else? This would be so stupid.

Finanny the door opened. A boy squeezed himself through the door and immediatey shut it behind him, holding a phone to his ear.

Sam jumped up and was lucky enough to catch the boy's eyes. He said "hang on" into the phone and pressed it against his chest.

"Is Blaine Anderson in there?" Sam asked.

"There are a lot of people in there."

"He's from New York, NYADA, and only arrived today."

"Sounds like you're lucky, then", the boy said, and looked at the roses.

"Oh, thank God!" Sam exclaimed. He was right. The torture would end any minute now.

"You gonna walk in there like that?" the boy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uhm… You mean… should I sing or what?"

The boy looked astonished at Sam. He had red hair and freckles, and additionally his face was all red and glittering from exhaustion.

"Are you Sam?"

Sam squinted his eyes. Should he give up his identity or was this some sort of prank?

"Let me call you back", the boy said into the phone before he put it away and reached out his hand to Sam.

"Hi, I'm Gerry."

"Yeah, okay, hi Gerry, I kind of need to speak to Blaine now." Sam quickly shook the hand and gestured to the door.

"You know, a dramatic intrance with singing, dancing and begging for forgiveness on your knees would be pretty spectacular", Gerry said.

"Sure sounds like it. Can I… now?" Sam pointed at the door again.

Gerry eyed Sam from top to toe.

"What's your plan for getting attention in this room full of people?"

"Don't have a plan, I…"

"That's what I thought. Come with me, come on."

Gerry walked to the right and Sam was left standing in front of the door. But he didn't go in. Instead, he looked at the mysterious boy, who waved him to come to the next door.

 

Blaine

 

Blaine had known that NYADA courses weren't exactly the easiest, far from, but the answer his teacher had given him to his request to take an early evening due to personal issues had still had shocked him.

"Who died? Oh wait, I don't care! As long as you're not having a heart attack yourself you're not excused from this programme. And maybe not even then", she had said in a seriousness voice that made Blaine think of Sue Sylvester. Then she had given out energy bars and reminded everybody that only those and water were needed to survive the next days.

But Blaine didn't have any energy despite those bars. His legs felt heavy like lead, as did his heart and stomach, and every move was as hard as getting up on a Monday morning when you hadn't slept. All he could think of was Sam's newest idea. It would mean the end of them, he wasn't exaggerating, it would. No couple could survive long distance for  _three years!_

It didn't help that Tina was on his heels, hinting that she wanted to speak with him in private as soon as possible.

"Whatever it is, it has to wait", Blaine said as she approached him for the hundreds time in between songs when they only had seconds to drink some water.

"It can't wait, as soon as you know what it is you will agree", Tina said. "Promise me we'll meet up as soon as today's rehearsal ends."

"Okay. Sure. I promise", Blaine panted. He drank much needed room-temperatured water and looked outside the window, it was dark already. The clock showed that it was nine, so it could only be a few more hours before they were dismissed.

No one ever said this would be easy.

"Time to get going again!" Tina clapped her hands and walked around the room to motivate her fellow students.

Blaine stretched his right arm and yawned. Well, then.

"Sorry, change of plan."

Everbody looked to the stage where Gerry had taken a micro.

"It's not going to take long, I promise, and it will contribute to our musical explanation", he said, hesistantly looking at Mrs. Roth. The teacher however was still pulling Steve to pieces. Tina on the other hand crossed her arms and started to speak. Her voice was drowned by guitar music though.

And then a voice… that sounded like Sam's. Blaine couldn't help himself, he got enchanted and looked to the stage, where a curtain hid the view to the backstage area. The curtain was rustling, and a singer with a guitar around his neck came out.

_It still feels like our first night together_  
Feels like the first kiss  
It's getting better baby  
No one can better this

_Please forgive me, I know not what I do_   
_Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you_

_The one thing I'm sure of_   
_Is the way we make love_   
_The one thing I depend on_   
_Is for us to stay strong_

_Please forgive me, I know not what I do_   
_Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you_

_(Bryan Adams, Please Forgive Me)_

"Great, now I'm hallucinating", Blaine mumbled to himself. Because he saw Sam,  _here_ , singing to him.

The song ended and most of the people applauded. Mrs Roth of course didn't. She rushed to the stage and grasped Sam's arm.

"How do you dare…"

"I'm sorry, Blaine", Sam called.

"Who even are you? Out of my room, now!" Mrs Roth pulled him off the stage, and that was when Blaine's legs finally set into motion. He rushed through the students and reached his teacher and boyfriend, throwing himself at the latter and hugging him tightly. It was Sam! Here, in Brown! And he smelled sooo good, fresh like rain and homely warm and Blaine didn't even remember anymore why he was mad at him.

"I'm sorry that I…" Sam started but Mrs Roth voice was louder.

"Anderson! This is your doing! You know that you are not allowed to bring in your friends or relatives, it is strongly forbidden. You hereby are expelled from this course. Go pack your stuff, you leave tomorrow."

"Wait a minute now, Misses!" Sam said. "Blaine has nothing to do with it, I came here on my own."

Mrs. Roth came closer, one step, two steps, staring at Sam and not stopping until she could breathe into his face.

"What did you call me?"

"Uhm, uh, professor?"

"OUT! Both of you!"

"No! No, you can't turn my great romantic gesture into the thing that got Blaine kicked out of his important school program!" Sam cried as Mrs. Roth opened the doors and shoved him outside. Blaine was clever enough to follow, and with a loud bang the doors shut and he stood there in the empty, artifically lighted hallway.

 

Coming up: Will Blaine find a way to get back into the programme? And what is Tina trying to tell him, anyway? Also we will finally meet Martina and Cooper's baby, yey! :-)

 


	3. Big Plans

 

Sam sobbed and bashed his head against the door.

"Shit, I'm such an idiot."

Blaine pulled Sam back from the door and got on his toes to press his lips against the blond's forehead. He felt the tension leaving the other's body and softness coming in, before Sam sobbed again and threw his arms around Blaine's waist.

"I'm sorry, I ruined everything."

"I love you", Blaine whispered while he drove his mouth over the spot behind Sam's ear, hot and salty and sweet.

"I didn't even get to give you the flowers." Sam pulled back and looked at the shut door.

Blaine gently grasped his stubbly chin and turned his head back, waiting until their eyes made contact. Rueful green met caring brown.

"You came here", Blaine said.

"I knew you wouldn't pick up the phone."

Blaine chuckled. His phone was still switched off, and he had planned on leaving it like that for at least two more days. How did Sam know him so well?

Blaine's index finger caressed the three-day beard and then lush, yummy looking lips before he looked into Sam's eye again.

"Aren't you mad?" Sam asked quietly. "I mean I…"

"Shhh."

"Stop looking at me like that! I got you kicked out of the best opportunity to learn the ways of… uh what was it again?"

"I don't care", Blaine said, and he actually meant it. He wasn't surprised although one minute ago he would have been furious at the thought of being cut out. But he knew it didn't matter. Sam had come here as soon as he had realized what his college plans would mean for them. He didn't want Blaine to think they were unimportant to him, and he knew that Blaine wouldn't take his phone calls so he had come here.

"What do you mean you don't…"

Once again Blaine interrupted Sam, this time by pressing his lips to the other's.

"But…"

And again, again. Then Sam pushed him back and looked at him.

"Did they gave you drugs or something? Hello, I got you  _kicked out!_ And before that we had a fight that made you cry!"

"Who said I cried?"

"I know you did", Sam smirked. At least the worry was gone from his eyes. "Cause you can't live without me. Cause you luuuve me."

"That's what I'm saying." Sam got another kiss.

"Okay, seriously, Blaine…" Sam felt Blaine's forehead and it made Blaine giggle. He took Sam's hand and led him away from the door where bouncy pop songs came from.

"I'm happy to see you", Blaine said. "Yes, last night I cried because I thought you could easily live a thousand miles apart from me but you probably didn't think it through and went with your crazy idea as you always do. And then you realised what it would mean and you came to tell me in person."

" _Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles… If I could just see you… Tonight_ ", Sam sang.

"Exactly, and the song isn't even meant literary. Oh, Sam." Blaine sighed, leaned against the wall and pulled Sam closer. Before Blaine had to ask Sam's mouth met his in a delicious, wet kiss. And Blaine relaxed into it. He had missed this boy, his taste, his scent, the touch of his hands on Blaine's back. Not only since yesterday but the weeks before when they barely had time for each other due to Blaine's crazy busy schedule. He still didn't know how to resolve this but things couldn't go on like that.

The silky feel of Sam's tongue send shivers through Blaine and he took a deep breath. When was the last time… His fingers drove through soft hair strands, scratched playfully over Sam's skull and went further down to dip under the collar of his shirt.

"If we were somewhere private, I'd rip that off you", he whispered.

"If we were somewhere private you'd be naked already", Sam said. "Naked and wet because I licked all over you…"

"Mr. Anderson!"

They both jumped up and Sam was three feet away from Blaine before Blaine knew what was happening.

Mrs. Roth was standing there, arms crossed. Behind her was Tina, also with her arms crossed plus a very, very dark look on her face.

Blaine smoothened his shirt that Sam had played with, extra slow so they knew he wasn't ashamed of having been caught.

"The trees!" Sam said. He pointed outside where it was pitch dark. "Aren't they lovely? So colorful! Oh, hey, Tina! Long time, no see."

Sam waved but neither Tina nor Mr. Roth payed him any attention. The latter turned to Tina.

"Do you still think I should give him a second chance? Seeing that he obviously doesn't care about dancing or singing or performing at all, making out with his friend or relative five seconds after he has been thrown out?"

Mr. Roth didn't wait for Tina to answer and went straight back to the room entrance where snickering students quickly hid from her glance.

Tina came closer to Blaine. He thought she wanted to say something but then a hot pain dashed through his cheek. His hand went up to hold it while Sam drew a deep breath.

"How could you do this to Kurt!" Tina hissed.

She couldn't say more because Sam attacked her, or rather would have if Blaine hadn't held him back.

"For you I make an exception to the rule of not hitting girls!" Sam exclaimed.

"Don't you dare." Tina hadn't backed out but raised a finger. She quickly glanced over her shoulder, where the door was closed now, then pointed her eyes at Blaine.

"You can't hit a pregnant woman", she said. "And yes, that's what I wanted to tell you, but seeing you have better things to do…"

She stormed away and banged the door behind her.

"Oh my God", Sam said. He took Blaine's hand lying on his chest and they both stared at the door.

"She got knocked up", Sam said.

"Yes."

"She's got a bun in the oven."

"Yes."

"A little baby! Maybe even twins! Oh my God, Blaine, do you know what that means?"

Sam turned to Blaine and cupped his face with both hands.

"No?" Blaine uttered.

"She's going to be a mother! Tina! She will be the  _worst mother ever!_ Poor baby girls."

"Sam, calm down."

"Holy shit."

A hand landed on Blaine's belly (and it wasn't Blaine's hand) and stroked over it.

"Sam?" Blaine cleared his throat. "I'm not pregnant."

"Maybe", Sam whispered while looking down.

"I am very sure I am not."

"Mh." Sam looked up and let his hands wander to Blaine's side.

"Uhm, so, about the bomb Tina just dropped on us?"

"And the fact that I screwed up your chance to re-join the group I got you kicked out of."

"And that."

They looked at each other and a moment later burst out laughing.

"Have you seen her face?" Blaine tried to look as fierce as Mrs. Roth.

"Making out with your friend or  _relative?_ What kind of family does she come from?"

"She's crazy!" Blaine shook his head, waves of amusement still running through his guts. He wasn't one ounce sad, really, he had to think about this when he was home.

Home.

Blaine grasped Sam's hand, maybe too firm.

"I'm coming with you to Lima."

"Yeah? Are you sure, I mean, you probably have a lot of NYADA stuff to do…"

"Let's forget this for a few days. No one will miss me", Blaine said. "It's always good to see my parents. And Martina and the baby are living there at the moment, too."

"Oh honey. I thought you'd never ask." Sam took Blaine's other hand, too, and put them in a dancing position. Blaine had to laugh again as they swayed along the hallway.

 

Wednesday, September 30th, 31 days until Halloween

 

" _Hey soul sister, ain't that mister mister on the radio, stereo, the way you move ain't fair you know_ ", Sam said with his best comical voice, and as intended the girl in his arms giggled out loud. Yeah, the woman that could resist his charms still wasn't born yet.

"Who's the best uncle? Sammy! Who's the best uncle?" Sam tickled her chin and Piper Rome giggled again.

"Oh God, someone take the baby from him or he'll talk about adopting the whole week", Blaine said from where he was helping his mother setting up Halloween decorations.

"Sammy is the best uncle!" Sam said to Piper, who showed her approval by grabbing his nose.

"He's such good husband material", Mrs. Anderson said to her son. "I'm glad someone of you is a family man. If you had married Kurt you two would have never gotten out of your stubborn New York fame-tunnel-vision."

"Mum, am I detecting anti-Kurt vibes there?" Blaine asked chuckling.

"Blaiiine, sheshooo cute!" Sam said when Piper tugged on his lower lip and bored her little fingers into his gums.

"It's time for a nap now", Martina said. She sat next to Sam on the couch and browsed through a DYI magazine.

"I'm not tired", Sam said.

"All I'm saying is that you need someone who grounds you", Mrs. Anderson said.

Sam of course didn't show he was listening in to their conversation but nonetheless an inner, very bright grin rose from his chest to his mouth. He didn't hide it and pretended to laugh about Piper; man, Mrs. Anderson  _loved_ him!

Eventually Martina took the baby from him and he went to help Blaine set up a pumpkin garland. Mrs. Anderson had gotten out the Halloween decorations because Sam had complained about the unfestive interior design, and her only condition to it was: No gore.

Sam could live with that. Halloween was there to be spooky and silly but not too bloodthirsty.

"Do I really have a fame-tunnel-vision?" Blaine asked when his mother left the room to do something in the kitchen.

"No, of course not. You know what you want and you go after it." Sam kissed Blaine's nose before Blaine knew what was happening.

"That sounds like sugar coating it."

"Because you are the sweetest man alive."

"I'm not…" Blaine sighed. "Remember when we spoke about being honest with each other?"

"That only counts on Saturdays", Sam said and hang a black bat at the mantel piece.

Blaine put down a plastic hollow pumpkin and crossed his arms.

"So if today was Saturday, what'd you say to me?"

"Today's Wednesday. We only have a few days left here so let's not fight, okay?"

"Sam."

With the heaviest sigh Sam turned around. He didn't want to be honest about Blaine's Broadway goals. He was afraid he'd say something that he would regret, something that would hurt Blaine.

"So?" Blaine raised his eyebrows with an expectant look that Sam never could withdraw from. He shrugged.

"I guess… and I'm not saying this is bad or anything…"

"Just say it."

"Well, you and Rachel are kinda the same. Almost. You work very hard for fame, frankly, too hard because what's life good for if you work all day long and never get to enjoy it? I don't understand what's the deal about being crazy famous, except maybe the money you'd get from it but it's not like we have money issues or something."

" _You_ wanted to be famous last year, you got all crazy about that song you and Rachel released."

"Yeah." Sam shrugged again. "And I did it for the money. When people recognized me on the street I didn't freak out like Rachel. I kind of thought it was scary, like they were stalking me and trying to find out where I live or what I ate for lunch, and was glad when it ended."

Blaine drove a hand over his forehead. "You never told me that."

Sam didn't know what he should say. If the future was his to make he'd be aiming for a nice house in the suburbs, children, homemade bread and much time with Blaine. If Blaine wanted to make art he should but he'd always have enough time for Sam. Every day.

"Huh." Blaine took up the pumpkin and went to the window sill of the living room. Outside the red and yellow treetops were dandling in the wind, in front of a grey sky that threatened with rain.

"So… are you mad at me?" Sam asked.

Blaine put the pumpkin on the sill and came back to the box of decorations standing in front of the unlit fire place.

"I'm not mad", he said. "Why would I be?"

"Cause I said you're like Rachel."

Blaine put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Well, you're wrong. Rachel does it for the attention; I do it to get to people. To touch their hearts and make their lives better. I love singing and dancing and being on a stage, and I want people to feel as happy as I am. The only way I know of doing this is by making them feeling joy because I perform for them. That's it."

Sam smiled. " _You_ never told me that."

"I guess I never really thought about it, either." Blaine looked at the mantel piece but Sam kept his eyes on his boyfriend. Soon enough Blaine returned the look.

"So I was right. You  _are_ the sweetest man alive", Sam said. He couldn't help it, he beamed at Blaine. He had always known Blaine was cute, lovely and good hearted but hearing this confession made Sam realise he also was someone who wanted to save the world. And he did it by using his very own superpowers: his angelic voice and his sexy dance moves.

"I'm not  _sweet_ , I'm…"

Sam walked past the decoration box and pulled Blaine to his chest, pressing the petit boy against his body and his own nose into Blaine's neck.

"You even smell sweet", Sam mumbled when articifal raspberry scent climed his nose.

Blaine relaxed, laid his hands on Sam's back and snuggled up.

"You are very precious indeed", Sam said. He wasn't as naive as he seemed, he knew there were bad people in this world. He had seen them coming into his house and take it away, take away everything a whole family needed to survive and throw children of nine and ten on the street. He had seen them in the dancing club in Kentucky, using an underage teenager for sex work. He had seen the bad guys and he was so very,  _very_ glad he had found one of the good guys who loved him and wanted to share his life with him.

Without really thinking about it Sam drew back, took Blaine's hands and sank down on a knee.

"Oh God, Sam, what are you… We're already engaged, remember?" Blaine said, his eyes fluttering to the door. Nobody came in, they were all alone.

Still, Sam pulled the ring from Blaine's hand and held it up to him.

"Yeah, but you know I had to keep myself from popping the question before so let me get it out. Blaine Devon Anderson."

"Oh God." Blaine rolled his eyes but he couldn't keep a smile off his face.

"I always suspected you to be some kind of heavenly creature and now I have seen your true self. You are a first class super hero who brings light and goodness into this world. If you let me, I will support you, assist you, be of any use I can be and of course love you deeply, madly and truly with all of my heart. It beats for you, that's a fact that won’t change. Will you do me the favor of becoming my beloved husband?"

Now Blaine was grinning like crazy.

"Yes, Sam, yes. I'd love to."

"So be it." Sam put the ring on Blaine's finger and let himself be pulled up. He found Blaine's eyes again, and his lips. It was one of those special engagement kisses, you know, the ones where you didn't want to get too messy too soon and kept prodding wet lips against lips to keep things classy. If someone filmed you they would have said, oh, my, what a nobel couple!

Blaine giggled and pulled back.

"What are you doing?"

"Kissing you."

"Are you trying to eat my mouth?"

"I'm keeping it classy!"

"You were trying to  _eat my mouth._ "

"Ph." Sam stepped away from Blaine and bent down to the decorations box. Many nice garlands that wanted to get hung up were here.

"Classy", he mumbled.

Then he felt two warm hands on his back and Blaine's chin on his shoulder.

"I didn't say I didn't like it", he whispered.

"Ha! I knew it!" Sam turned around and somehow managed to wind his legs around Blaine. Since they were on the ground he didn't try to keep it classy this time and went for slobbery.

"On the  _floor?_ Oh God, oh God", Mrs. Anderson exclaimed.

Sam and Blaine quickly parted, and watched Blaine's mother bringing in a plate full of sandwiches.

"Whatever happened to decency these days?" she asked, probably herself because Sam certainly didn't know the answer to that. He had never known decency in the first place.

"Good news, mum!" Sam said while he jumped up and reached out his left hand. "We're engaged!"

Mrs. Anderson turned around and looked at him with big eyes.

"What did you just call me?"

"Uh… Mrs. Anderson?"

"You called me mum."

"Mmmmmh I very much doubt that, Mrs. A, since you are not my mother."

Sam winked at Blaine who was as baffled as his mother.

"Oh, Sam." Mrs. Anderson held a hand to her chest. "I can't believe I didn't think of it. Of course you can call me mum, you're practically family. Come here!"

She opened her arms and Sam frowned. Huh? Was this real?

Then someone pushed him and he went to hug Mrs. Anderson, or better let himself be hugged by that small yet strong woman.

"So… does that mean Martina is my sister?" Sam asked.

"Shh." Mrs. Anderson patted his head and Sam threw a glance over his shoulder. Blaine grinned brightly and had such dreamy eyes that Sam knew they would talk about this situation later. Extensively.

 

Thursday, October 1st, 30 days until Halloween

 

Maybe it should feel weird to awake in his old room at home again but Blaine had too many other feelings in his chest to feel weirdness. For one, Sam was lying next to him and feeling his warmth was always the best way to wake up. Second, they had gone through a rough time and come out even stronger than before and the way Sam had proposed yesterday and his sparkling eyes and oh… and when Blaine's mother had officialy welcomed him to the family, it was like a sign, Blaine couldn't help but feel like that. Although it wasn't Midsummer anymore and not even close to Christmas he felt magic floating through the air, curling around them both to pull them together as strongly as was possible.

To wed them.

It was the kind of higher power that Blaine had wished would occur in his relationship with Kurt, had talked himself into it because he had wanted it so much. He hadn't been able to create it then but with Sam it was finally here, all on it's own, and it was better than anything Blaine had ever dared to dream of.

Blaine strechted his arms, yawned and beamed at his sleeping fiancé, stroking back a few blond strands that fell on his face. Aw, those cute yet hot lips.

"You know, when you do that, I start getting wet dreams", Sam murmured.

"Let's have a fall themed wedding."

Sam's eyes shot open. "Am I actually dreaming?"

Blaine grinned.

"You mean, like, now, this month? Just like that? What about all the preparations and invitations and…"

Blaine leaned forward to kiss Sam.

"Don't worry about it. We already prepared some things, and for the guests, well, maybe we'll invite only our closest friends and family and do it again as a big event on Christmas."

Sam put his hand in Blaine's neck and pulled him close, tasted from his lips again.

"Every fucking day", he mumbled. "I think this is the most perfect thing ever and then you go and make it even better."

The warm feeling of laughter and love rolled through Blaine's body, and he could truly say he had never been that happy in his whole life. Of course he loved to perform and work on his skills but as Sam had said, there had to be time to enjoy life, too. He would make time for that, oh yes, he would.

"And about your college plans", Blaine said.

"No, don't talk about that, don't worry. I won't go. I mean what are the odds they actually take me, anyway? Don't worry."

Sam tried to kiss Blaine but the black haired boy leaned back and studied his boyfriend's face.

"You should go."

"What?"

Blaine shrugged and before he could say more Sam jumped out of bed.

"I will not do long distance for three years, you hear me? I won't!"

"Hey, cut me some slack, will you? I asked you to come to New York for me and you did, and you didn't like living there."

"I never –"

"There are so many good art schools in the States", Blaine went on. "And don't forget the reason I was so keen on NYADA was so I could be there with Kurt. I had that weird fantasy of working together with him, so we didn't have to be at home together because that wouldn't have worked out anyway. I don't know, I was young and gutless." Blaine shrugged.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that performing and music is important to me, yes, but I can do it anywhere in the States. Come here."

Blaine patted on the spot next to him and Sam came back to the bed.

"There's a reason I want to marry you, you know?" Blaine said as he saw Sam's serious eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Sam, you are the light of my life. Without you I'd probably worked even harder to not face the dramas I'd have with Kurt…"

Sam held up his index and middle finger.

"Second mention of ex-boyfriend."

"All I'm saying is that I need you, and owe you so much. You finally did something for yourself and your life and I was furious and whiny about it? How selfish am I?"

"You're not! It's totally normal –"

"Let me continue, okay?"

Sam nodded.

"So while I want to do something with my life I also want the same for you. I'd feel horrible if I made you live in New York again especially when you finally found something you want and are excited about."

"I'd do it", Sam mumbled.

Blaine took Sam's hand and entangled their fingers.

"I know you'd do it because you put me first. That's what marriage is all about. And I'm willing to do the same, Sam, I put you first. I want you to be happy and not sacrifice anything. As I said there are so many dramatic art schools everywhere. I'll find a fit study. And who knows, maybe in three years we'll both be ready for New York again. Or not. We'll see."

"But…"

"And I can't say it's bad to live close to my parents. After all they already have one son who cares more about fame than family values."

He said it lightly as a joke but there was a certain truth to it. Cooper's ignorance, Martina and her baby living here and his mother opening Blaine's eyes to the truth that if it wasn't for Sam he'd stumble around in life blind for real love were facts that lightened a red alerting bulb in Blaine's head. He was stilll guided by a vision that he had created before he had loved Sam.

It was time for an adaption of his life circumstances.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Sam asked.

Blaine simply nodded and enjoyed the light in Sam's eyes glowing brightly.

"You'd do that… for me?" the blond asked.

"Yes."

"I mean I know you love me but… you love me that much?"

"It's time you love yourself, too, Sam. And believe in yourself because you will go to college  _and_ graduate from it."

All of a sudden Sam let himself fall down, face into pillow, and sobbed.

For a second Blaine couldn't move but then he quickly laid a hand on Sam's back and rubbed it.

"Hey, what… did I say something wrong?"

Sam moved closer and cuddled up to Blaine, head on his chest and tightly hugging him.

"I can't believe you'd do that for me. Why? I mean… you're the star. I'm the side kick."

Blaine stroked over his boyfriend's soft hair and shook his head.

"That's not how it works. We're equal."

"Oh my God", Sam whined.

For a few minutes they lay there like that and Blaine wondered why on earth he hadn't done this earlier. He had known Sam was in New York only for him, and Blaine hadn't even made time for special moments. He didn't want his life to be like that. Sure, it would be nice to be famous but if the price was Sam's unhappiness then Blaine didn't want it.

A mild humming interrupted his thoughts. The phone on his bedside table lightened up. Sam sat up and rubbed over his eyes.

"We can't do it like that. I'd feel so guilty."

"And I would feel guilty if we'd go back to New York and continue to live like the last months" Blaine said.

"But your dream…"

Blaine threw a glance to his phone just when the humming stopped and it went dark.

"My dream is love and happiness. If we continued like that we'd breake up in a few years and I'd be a wrack and would probably get thrown out of NYADA for being a walking zombie. So let's avoid this situation, okay?"

"Okay." Sam nodded and his red eyes examined something in the room. When he finally looked at Blaine a smile crept on his face.

"I love you."

The phone started humming again but Blaine ignored it.

"And I love you."

He stroked over Sam's hair. "You're my angel."

"Your phone sounds angry."

"I don't care."

"It's probably Sebastian."

Blaine groaned, leaned over and took up his phone.

"Huh, how did you know that?"

A wide grin spread over Sam's face.

"I'm psychic. It’s one of my many talents. Now, I'm gonna jump into the shower while you talk to meercat."

"Stop calling… oh my." Blaine sighed and answered the phone because Sam was already on his feet. While the blond got out of his nightly shirt and Blaine's eyes wandered over his fabulous abs the voice of his friend shouted at him.

"You got thrown out of the program? How, why, in God's name, what can you possibly have done? I can't believe you! The best chance of…"

Blaine blended out Sebastians voice as Sam also got out of his pants. And it wasn't like he did it like any usual person would have. No, he did it with swinging hips and swirled his pants over his head, throwing them in Blaine's direction.

"Uhm, I need to go", Blaine said to Sebastian who wasn't done shouting yet, hung up and followed Sam to the bathroom.

 

_ Coming up: _ Oh my God, Blam wedding! There's only one problem... gay marriage isn't legal in Ohio. O.o

 


	4. Changes are good, aren't they?

Thursday, October 8th

 

One week had passed since they had decided to marry in October already. Their enthusiasm had quickly been stiffled by the realisation that they couldn't get legally married in Ohio. Now Blaine was in New York to check in with his education while Sam had stayed back, waiting for his admittance test to Lima College that would be tomorrow.

Yes, they had thought about holding a ceremony nontheless but since it wouldn't have changed anything about their official status it would have been a mere gesture like the one they had done at Midsummer last year, and they both agreed that they needed the real deal. Official papers. Name changing.

Blaine was writing 'Blaine Devon Evans' on his papers whenever he found the time for doodling. It wasn't decided yet who would take whose name or whether they should hyphenate. All he wanted was to see his first name together with Sam's last one. It made him grin like crazy, even when he had to face a furious Sebastian.

"Did you even  _try_ to suck up to Mrs. Roth?"

"Mh?"

"Keith told me you were never to be seen again after she threw you out. That's not what I call clever, or eager to win. What was going on, Blaine, were you traumatizsed and tried to kill yourself? Because that would be the only excuse to miss a chance like that", Sebastian stated.

"I went to see my parents in Lima", Blaine said, his eyes on the notebook in front of him.

They were in the NYADA cafeteria, a busy place with students running in and out all the time. Blaine had participated in the classes since he was back but he had neglected his homework because he was busy researching schools of dramatic arts in Ohio. Not that he had told Sebastian yet.

"Excuse – what? Why  _on earth_ would you do that?"

"Hadn't seen them in a while."

And then there was the thing with Tina. Blaine couldn't stop thinking about it. She was pregnant! Pregnant and all alone. So he had called her and apologised for his and Sam's behaviour, and then listened to her complain about her fraternity sisters who she didn't dare to inform about her pregnancy. The question about the father was a question she hadn't answered when Blaine had asked it but he could understand that she was going through so much it would be unfair to make her speak about that.

"Are you… have you completely lost your mind now? Blaine?"

Sebastian turned Blaine's notebook around to take a look at it and groaned.

"Stop daydreaming about your boyfriend and start thinking reasonable. Do you want to graduate from NYADA or not?"

"Actually…"

"Oh boy. I had the most exhausting week, you won't believe who I got introduced to in the middle of lunch yesterday. Vera Wang! I tell you, the peas were rolling out of my mouth, it was so embarassing."

Kurt had put his tablet next to Blaine and sat down on the table without even taking a breath between his words.

"At your internship at Vogue?" Blaine asked.

"No, at my side job as a Call boy. Of course at Vogue! Oh, is that sushi? Can I?"

He used his fork to take a piece of fish from Sebastian's dish.

Sebastian frowned t that.

"You know, I would have never taken you for a gourmet", Kurt said.

Sebastian leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms.

"Tell me how you intent to make up for it. You have to make up for it because getting thrown out of a course with Mrs. Roth isn't exactly helping by making it through the year", he adressed Blaine again.

"Who got thrown out of what?" Kurt asked.

"Me", Blaine sighed. "And I know it sounds crazy but…"

"What? Seriously,  _you_ got thrown out? How? By being too charming?" Kurt said.

"Actually that's a good question", Sebastian said. "All I know is that your brother interrupted the lesson and Mrs. Roth got all worked up about it."

"Cooper? Why did he do that?" Kurt asked.

Blaine shook his head. "It wasn't Cooper, it was Sam. We had had a fight the day before so he showed up with flowers and a song…"

"Aww. Ain't that cute", Kurt said. "Nobody has done anything for me lately."

"Wait, what? I thought Sam was in Lima", Sebastian said.

"He flew in for me."

"Ugh, wipe that disgusting grin off of your face."

"Hey! Watch your tongue, meercat, just because you're Blaine's friend again doesn't mean you can talk to him like that!"

"I can talk to whomever the way I want to."

"Anyway, Mrs. Roth was in a bad mood and threw us out of the room, dismissed me from the program and I kind of didn't care", Blaine shrugged.

"Why… why… why wouldn't you care?" Kurt's shock widened eyes stared at Blaine.

"I guess in this moment I realised that love is more important than a career."

"I don't understand."

Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"That's sounds like something Sam would say but not you, Blaine! Listen to yourself!"

"Yes, Blaine… what is going on? Blaine!" Kurt abandoned his food and shook Blaine. "Awaken from that country-boy trance Sam put you into!"

Blaine leaned back with a sudden jolt shooting through his guts.

"Don't you dare blame Sam! I mean yes, he opened my eyes but that is something good. Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's bad."

"Oh, I understand", Sebastian said. "It's the red glasses of love speaking."

"Yes! Not that I like to agree with meercat but that's it", Kurt said. "Think about your life in five years. You will regret it if you now losen your efforts for the best NYADA graduation possible."

"Oh, I won't losen my efforts."

"Well, you better don't." Kurt shook his head.

"I will simply quit NYADA and look for schools in Ohio."

The choas that followed was too much for Blaine. He stopped trying to understand his both friends cries since they talked at the same time. So he put his empty joghurt can, the rest of his apple and the napkin on his tablet and stood up.

"Call me when you calmed down", he said.

"Blaine, you can't do that! Look what happened to Rachel! Do you want to become like her?" Kurt said.

"Blaine, this is your one chance to leave the scum behind you and rise to your true potential! Don't throw it away!" Sebastian said.

"I'm glad you two finally agree on something", Blaine said. "Have fun discussing it."

And he left. When he stood outside the cafeteria he realised he was clenching his fists. He had always thought of them as friends, as complicated as the history he had with both of them was. But how could they talk about Sam like that? And call him 'scum'? Did they still think that he and Sam wouldn't last?

Whatever happened to supporting your friends even when you thought they were crazy? And wasn't it Blaine's decision what he did with his life?

His feet were hitting the ground harder than usual as he went down the hallway. And then they stopped. He looked up and saw where they had taken him.

The Dean's office.

 

Friday, October 9th

 

"Yes, I am totally capable of studying very hard for hours without a break and so will catch up with the material from the last weeks very quickly", Sam said without turning a hair.

"Well, then…" The principal, who was not a funny Indian man but a strict Asian woman, gave Sam some papers.

"Sign here and you'll be accepted to Lima College, starting next week on Monday eight o'clock and not one second later", she said.

Sam gulped. He hadn't gotten out of bed before ten in the last months. But he was willing to sacrifice sleep for his education. Yes, he had a very good feeling that this was what he should be doing. Or at least what he wanted to do.

He wrote down his name in his best penmanship that was reserved for official stuff like this.

 

Sunday, October 11th

 

"I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe it." Sam looked up the house front. Everything had gone so fast as if it had been planned since forever.

"How about you believe it and help me carrying the boxes inside?" Blaine suggested.

"Wait, wait!"

Sam hurried to Blaine and made his fiancé put the box he had lifted back into the van, took his hand and guided him a few steps away.

"You made all of this possible, you're my hero", Sam said, throwing an arm around Blaine's shoulder and gesturing to the house.

"Sure, we have to live with your parents, Martina and a baby that cries all night long but we're together", he said.

"Oh Sam, you know I'd do anything for you." Blaine snuggled up to Sam whose eyes filled with water.

"I can't believe you left NYADA. Just like that. I feel so guilty about it, I…"

"Sh, what's done is done. And it was my decision, stop feeling guilty."

"Never!" Sam pressed his fiancè against his body and mumbled "I love you" into his hair.

"And I will reward you later", he added.

"Uh, Sam…? Let's not have sex when my parents are closeby, okay?"

"Whaaaaat? But last week…"

"That was the heat of the moment", Blaine said.

"I can't live without your hot touch, babe!"

"Is that a line of a song or a movie?" Blaine freed himself from the embrace and went back to the rented van.

"Nothing the like, it came from the deep being of my soul!"

Blaine mumbled something while he lifted a box.

"Alright, we'll just send your parents out every now and then", Sam decided. This solution brought back his good spirits – honestly, he was a nineteen year old boy! – and he finally helped his fiancé carry boxes into the Anderson house.

 

Monday, October 12th

 

Only last week he had lived in New York where he had gone through the day by playing video games, now Sam walked into Lima College with school stuff in his old back pack at half past seven  _a.m._ !

It wasn't that much different from McKinley Highschool. The walls were higher and the students older but apart from that…

"Look at Point Dexter!"

A few guys were walking past Sam, obviously laughing at him.

"I was quarterback at my old school!" he called after them but they ignored him.

"Stupid jocks", Sam mumbled although they hadn't worn any sports outfits.

"Sam Evans! So we meet again!"

A heavy hand landed on Sam's shoulder and he turned to look at the boy who it belonged to. It was an old class mate of his, oh, wasn't the world as small as Smallville!?

"Ryder! Hey!" Sam hugged the boy he hadn't seen in so long. It was a manly hug, of course, and the next one he would give to Ryder would be either for Christmas or his birthday. Whatever would come first.

"So, you're going here, now, too? Finn gave me the heads up", Ryder explained as they walked down the hallway.

"Yup, I am now officially a part of the academic world, my friend. Which reminds me… Can we study together? I mean because you're dyslexic, too, and all."

"How about I introduce you to my study group for people with learning disabilities? It has really helped me keep up with all that homework."

"Cool, yeah! I wouldn't want to occupy all of Blaine's time, you know? He's got his own stuff to do."

"How's Blaine doing?" Ryder asked.

Sam got out his notebook where he had written down the number of his locker. Very tidily even. Wasn't he a rolemodel of a student?

"Good. Busy looking for schools", Sam said. "Where is locker number 239?"

"He's looking for a new school?"

"Yeah, well, can't fly in to New York and back here everyday, can he? Now?"

"He's living here?"

Ryder stopped in the middle of the hallway. It took Sam three more steps to realize it and turn around.

"Wasn't it his biggest dream ever to go to NYADA?" Ryder asked with a frown.

"Uh, no, his biggest dream ever is to be with me", Sam said. Duh. Ryder was really slow, wasn't he?

"So it's that easy, like that?" Ryder snapped his fingers. "You two never fight?"

"No, never ever", Sam said. Except now and then.

"That can't be healthy", Ryder commended, finally starting to walk again.

"Why? How are you and Marley?"

"Marley? That's so last year, dude. I'm together with Chelsey now."

"There are girls whose name is actually Chelsey?

" _And_ she's a cheerleader."

"I never took you for that superficial."

"Like you never dated a Cheerio."

"Just because all of my girlfriends have been cheerleaders at one point or the other doesn't mean I have a cheerleader kink."

"Oh, yes, it does. Even Blaine falls under this category."

They reached Ryder's locker and the brunette opened it. Sam looked at the numbers.

"One-hundred-and-sixty", he read. "So we live far away from each other."

"But we're in the same year, aren't we? Let's compare our schedules", Ryder suggested.

"Wait. You and Marley aren't together anymore but she's going here, too, right?"

"Yes. So?"

"So isn't it awkward?"

Ryder sighed. "Not everybody can have an everlasting happy relationship, can they?"

"Barely anyone has", Sam agreed. He got out his phone and looked at the background picture of him and Blaine. They were immune to the disease of all those break-ups going round, how lucky was he!?

"We're going to marry", Sam said. He showed Ryder his ring but before Ryder could answer the bell rang and indicated that the first class would start soon.

"Damn it. Where's my locker?" Sam rushed off. He didn't want to be late to his first class on his first day on his new school. But when he had found his locker the bell rang for the second time, meaning he should be in his classroom right now. Only that he didn't even know where it was. And where was his schedule that told him what class he had so he could look up the room he had to be in? Damn it!

Half an hour later he stumbled into room 6b without knocking. It was a huge lecture theatre and nobody looked up. The teacher was continuing with her reading. Sam quickly sat down in one of the last rows and tried to find out on what page of the book they were on. It was such a mess although he had wanted to have a perfect start! Man.

He got out his phone and wrote a quick text to Blaine.  _i suck so much! we should've stayed in ny :(_

And then a miracle happened. Blaine wrote back in the very same minute. When was the last time that had happened? Sam was used to getting an answer hours later so he opened the text with his jaw dropped.

_You don't suck, honey! You need to get used to your new structure, that's all. When you're home we'll take a look at your organisation shall we?_

"Oh my God", Sam mumbled while writing back.  _Whatya doin?where r u? not busy?_

He let his phone lie on the table and concentrated on the teacher for ten seconds. Then Blaine answered again. Sam pulled an impressed face.

_I'm home and I am busy writing applications. Nothing I can't take a break off ;)_

"Oh my God!" Sam exclaimed again. He quickly looked up to see if he had disturbed the teacher. But no. Only a girl a few seats to his right looked at him.

"My boyfriend takes breaks", Sam explained before he turned his attention back to his phone.

_I_ so _want to skip class come home and lick ice cream of of ur belly_

_Remember the no-sex-rule?_

"What, he's actually serious about that?" Sam whispered. And wrote back:  _ur parents r at work babe!_

_They are retired, Sam._

Damn.

_Plus Martina and her baby are in the room next to us._

Damn again. Still, all of those arguments meant nothing when it came to Sam's thoughts of what he could do to Blaine right now, in this moment, because Blaine could take breaks from his work, just for Sam.

_I want to ripp of ur pants and lick u dick_

Sam snickered. How naughty he was!

Then he had to wait for some minutes for an answer. In the meantime, he concentrated on the lesson and wrote down a few notes. He would be a god student, yes, he would. The start hadn't been perfect but with Blaine's help he would get a grip on that whole learning thing once and for all.

Eventually Blaine answered by sending a link. Sam clicked on it and read the headline  _'Are you a sex addict? Find out by taking this short online test!'_ .

Naturally, Sam took the test. Then he sent the outcome to Blaine.

_We have compared your answers with people who have been diagnosed with sex addiction. Your answers have not met a score on a basis of six criteria that indicate sex addiction is present._   
_Tx for worrying but can we continue sexting?_

The teacher wrote something on the board and Sam copied it. Even when his phone buzzed he first finished his notes before he looked at it, because that's what A-grade students did!

_When's your lunch break? I could come visit you_ Blaine wrote.

"Yes, of course!" Sam said. Why hadn't he thought of it? They would simply have sex in public places. Problem solved!

He sent Blaine a picture of his schedule and then gathered his things together because the class was over. Wow, this Monday morning was going extremely well even though he had been late. College was a cake of pie!

 

At exactly half past twelve Blaine left his parents' house and got into their car. He drove to town where he brought some of his applications to the mail, then he drove to Lima College and searched for the cafeteria where he had said he would meet Sam.

Blaine was early so no students were here, only staff who set up the food counter. He sat down on a table and watched them. Man, it was weird to have so much time at his hands. His feet still waggled up and down but his chest area already started to relax; the stress of keeping up with NYADA classes had taken a tight grip on him and he hadn't even realized it.

The first students dribbled in. Although it was a College the atmosphere was more High-School-like than in NYADA where everything had been about competition. Now that he thought about it Blaine realised his whole life had been about competition. He had always been eager to proof himself worthy; had wanted to be the best, wanted to be loved.

It probably was Cooper's fault because his parents had never been about showcasing. Okay, his mother had supported Cooper's ambitions to become a famous star and then treated Blaine like he was supposed to do the same but what else should she have done when Blaine had started imitating his brother at a young age?

And his father, well, it wasn't his fault either. He had been too occupied with turning Blaine straight than to care about his career choices. Except of course when he had said that Broadway would make him even gayer and he should become a car mechanic, a statement that had convinced Blaine all the more to go after becoming a performer.

Blaine sighed. All of this seemed to long ago. Did it still matter? With Sam in the picture the order of things had changed, slowly but constantly. Blaine didn't need to be famous to be loved. He didn't need to be anything; Sam would love him the way he was. Always. And wasn't that what counted the most in life?

His phone buzzed with a call, so Blaine answered it.

"Where are you? I can't find you", Sam said. "Did something hold you up?"

"No, I'm actually here. Where are you?"

"In front of the cafeteria."

Blaine looked at the door where Sam's blond head appeared, his eyes searching the room. Blaine had to smile even when Sam still didn't notice him. He interrupted the conversation and went to his fiancé.

"There you are!" said boy exclaimed.

"Here I am." Blaine grinned and kissed Sam's sweet warm mouth.

"It's the middle of the day and here we are", Blaine repeated, more to himself because he couldn't believe the sudden changes in his life.

"Come, come!"

Sam took Blaine's hand and pulled him out of the cafeteria.

"You know, I was thinking about going to Brown for a few days", Blaine said.

"Uhu."

"I mean, Tina wasn't nice but I wasn't the best friend either. I didn't listen to her concerns which she made clear were urgent and… Where are we going?"

Sam still pulled Blaine through the hallway, going into the opposite direction than all the other students did.

"Almost there."

Door after door was passing by.

"And I need to check in with Sebastian", he continued informing Sam about the things he had thought about at the morning.

"I don't want to know what he's doing with our apartment but I guess if I never check in it will be all the worse in the end."

"Uhu."

"Also, I promised Rachel to watch her show and she's on my heels about reviewing her."

"We're here!"

Sam pushed open a door to a dark room. He let go of Blaine's hand and went in. Artificial lights flashed on and Blaine found that he was looking into a small room with brushes, buckets and other janitor equipment.

"Uh… Sam? What are we doing here?"

"The second shelf from the left…" Sam mumbled while he threw his backpack on the ground and observed the racks full of cleansers.

"Do you want to spend your lunch break cleaning?"

Blaine stepped into the room, or should he say closet, and frowned at the spider web in the corner.

"Ah, got it! Sit down, come on."

Sam gestured to a sickbed stuffed in between a wall and a laundry basket. Blaine did as he was told. With his legs dangling in the air he watched Sam handling a thick, white pillar candle – where had that come from? A second later the candle was lightened. Sam switched off the lights and closed the door, leaving them with the damped, flickering light of the candle which he placed on a shelf.

 

Coming up: Sam does  _ not _ want to spend his lunch break cleaning. Finn informs Blaine about all of Sam's past mistakes, and Sam himself has a nervous breakdown... once more.

 


	5. Intervention

 

"Ah, that's better", Sam said. "Quiet relaxing."

"What's all this? The secret hook up corner of your school? How do you possibly know that already?" Blaine chuckled.

For an answer, Sam began to sing.

" _It's a little bit funny this feeling inside_  
I'm not one of those who can easily hide I  
Don't have much money but boy if I did  
I'd buy a big house where we both could live."  
(Elton John - Your Song)

"Oh, Moulin Rouge!" Blaine clapped his hands. His favourite movie of all times which he hadn't seen in ages. He leaned against the wall behind him and listened to the rest of the song. During it Sam came closer and ended up sitting next to Blaine, holding his hand, whispering the last lines against his mouth.

" _How wonderful life is while you're in the world."_

"Oh, you're good", Blaine breathed. There was no other way to express it but to say he was hypnotized. Hypnotized by Sam's soft voice, his loving eyes and his tender touch.

"I know", Sam grinned before he pushed his lips against Blaine's.

 

When they left the closet and walked down the hallway Blaine couldn't stop grinning, and when they entered the cafeteria, ordered food and sat down at the table where Finn, Marley and Ryder sat he had the same problem.

"Oh, hey, Blaine! Are you going here now, too?" Ryder asked.

"Nope. Just visiting."

"Why are you so happy?" Finn asked while shoving food into his mouth.

"Because I'm with my lovely, wonderful boyfriend." Blaine leaned to Sam and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Mh." Sam shrugged.

Ryder drew in air, and leaned to Marley. "Unhealthy obsession, that's what it's about. Sam is totally unhappy and Blaine is pulling all the shots."

"Uhm, we can hear you?" Blaine said.

"Is it true you gave up your NYADA spot so Sam can go to College here?" Marley asked, totally disregarding Ryder.

"It sounds worse than it is", Blaine said. He picked up his fork with a side glance at Sam who was trying to murder his food with his looks.

They just had had the best sex ever, really, but then Sam had realized that they had forgotten to be safe and somehow had managed to convince himself that he had given Blaine a disease.

But come one! He couldn't be serious about that, right?

He could.

"Finn, do you know if it's true that all strippers have Aids?" Sam spoke up.

The fork Finn had aimed at his mouth stopped and he looked at Sam.

"Uhm, I don't think this is even remotely true and kinda job-racist? Cause stripper are people too, and they have common sense like most people?"

"Is that a question?" Sam said.

"Hey, come on." Blaine nudged Sam. "It's all good."

"Well, you were a stripper, right?" Finn said. "Do you have Aids?"

Sam's death glare was pretty spooky. And the silence at their table, too.

Blaine cleared his throat. "Uh, of course he hasn't. So, Ryder, Marley, how are you?"

"I'm good", Marley said. "I get only A grades because I am not dating anyone so I can concentrate on studying. All the time, all weekend long."

She drank from her soda and put the can down with a loud clack.

"Oh. Cool", Blaine said. Under the table he squeezed Sam's knee and eventually some life came back into his boyfriend. Sam sighed, leaned back and grasped his glass of water.

"I'm doing pretty good, too", Ryder said. "I have my study group so… yeah."

"Study group, my ass", Marley murmured.

Sam spat out his water and Blaine stopped in his tracks, too, staring at her.

"Marley! Since when do you… use such language?" he asked.

"Since I got dumped out of nothing because another girl was blonder and had longer legs", Marley said.

"That's unfair", Ryder said. "That's not at all the reason…"

"Stop!" Sam hit the table and everybody jerked up.

"No fighting today! Blaine is here and we only want to give him happy memories! Blaine?"

The blond turned to him and like the others Blaine was clueless about what was happening.

"I apologize for being a jerk. About you know what, and the other you know what, too."

"Uh… what?"

"If I hadn't forced you to sleep with me all of this wouldn't have happened."

Finn started coughing but Ryder and Marley only stared at Sam, while Blaine looked around and hoped nobody was listening in.

"You didn't force me to do anything, Sam, and, mh, can we talk in private about those things?"

"If I hadn't forced you to leave New York none of this would have happened. I will call Kurt to see if he can get you back in." Sam picked up his fork and bored it into a meat ball.

"Again, you didn't force me to do anything."

"May I ask what happened?" Ryder said.

"Nothing, actually", Blaine said. "Sam is being theatrically."

"We are all going to die, that's what", Sam said. He threw his fork on the plate. got up and walked away.

Blaine leaned back in his chair and rubbed over his face.

"Sorry, guys, that was… I don't even know what it was", he said to his remaining friends.

"One of Sam's freak outs." Finn shrugged and continued eating. "It happens. Like the time when he thought the world was ending and married Brittany. Or the time he thought Quinn was cheating on him and insisted on me kissing her in front of his eyes. Or the time…"

"Alright, we all know that Sam has his five minutes every now and then", Blaine said. He put together his cutlery and stood up.

"I'll talk to him."

"I mean, once Rachel and I brought him back his guitar and the guy starts crying. Had a nervous break-down right there", Finn told Ryder.

"Hey!" Blaine said. "I'm still here."

"You don't even know half of the stories", Finn said. "There was the time everybody in Glee club thought he had an affair with Kurt because he was wearing his clothes and Kurt was seen to leave Sam's house late at night."

Blaine had started to walk away tut now stopped, turning back to Finn.

"What?"

"That was when you still were in Dalton", Finn said. "Hey, you three always clutch together, don't ya?"

"So?"

"Yeah, it was a weird time. I don't know what Sam exactly did but Tina thought he was a serial killer."

Blaine rolled his eyes. Speaking of Tina. He still had to call her back.

"And one time Sam started a one-man-band because he thought Justin Bieber was cool", Finn said.

"Stop gossiping about my boyfriend", Blaine demanded. He brought away his plate and left the cafeteria. He didn't see Sam in the hallway, he didn't know where his locker was or anything else for that matter.

So Blaine followed his instinct and went to the janitor's chamber. When he opened the door it was dark inside but then the light from the hallway fell onto the sickbed. Sam sat there, staring at the ground.

"Okay, stop that right now." Blaine went in, switched on the lights and closed the door behind him.

"You're not ill, you don't have Aids, and neither have I, and no one is going to die."

"Blaine… you gave up your whole career. Why did you do that? You were so eager to go to Broadway and you had that mentor and you’d be famous very soon. And now you're here, stuck with me. I shouldn't have… asked you…" He wiped over his eyes.

Oh gosh. Blaine went to him and sat down, taking Sam's free hand into his.

"Hey, you didn't ask me to do it. It was my decision."

"I got you thrown out of your school program."

"You were the sweetest guy ever, coming there for me", Blaine whispered. He kissed the hand he held.

"And you know I love you more than the stage or anything, don't you?"

"But Broadway… you love to perform and…"

"Sam", Blaine interrupted him. "When I say I love to perform I'm not saying I want to marry the stage or spend most of my life there. It means I do it with much joy. But when I say I love you, I mean the real deal. Marriage, buying a house, building a family, growing old, bickering all our way through retirement and then get buried in the same grave while the headstone says 'Those two soul mates continue their romance in heaven'."

Blaine kissed away some tears on Sam's cheek.

"You're my top priority, never forget that."

Sam gulped and nodded. "That sounded like your vows."

"Damn it, now I have to think of even more loving words", Blaine chuckled.

"Me too, you know? Everything you just said. That's why I'm so upset. I want you to be happy."

"I  _am_ happy", Blaine confirmed. "You have to take my word for that."

"Okay." Sam sniffed. He took a hold of Blaine's hands now, too, and squeezed them, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Blaine chuckled and glided closer so he could snuggle up to Sam's warm chest.

"It's alright, everything is good", he said. He closed his eyes and listened to his most beloved heart in the world beating steadily.

"So… about that whole starting a family thing…"

"Oh no. Not for another ten years." Blaine shook his head. "Don't even think about it."

"Okay."

"For now, just imagine." Blaine stroked about Sam's thigh. "We'd get up early to make lunch for our kids, bring them to school and then take our daily walk through the park."

"I'd love that."

Blaine took a deep breath of contentment. They were young and had their whole lives in front of them. No need to hurry, no need to rush. Just being there was enough, wasn't it?

Someone's phone buzzed. It wasn't Blaine's but Sam didn't make any attempt to move.

"Is that your phone?" Blaine asked.

"Mh, yeah." Still in a trance state Sam pulled his phone out and answered it.

Blaine stretched his arms. Somehow this weird day had made him feel better, even though he still had some questions to clear up for himself.

"How would I know? Ask Kurt", Sam said.

Like, what did Blaine want from life if he could have it all? Could he have it all? Was it  _really_ all about Broadway or would he be happy being a local performer as well?

"Well… I don't know, seduce him. Maybe he's bi. Yes, that's a thing, remember how one of your best friends is bi?" Sam's free hand reached for Blaine's and they intertwined.

"Me, Rachel, I'm talking about me."

Blaine yawned but then the heard words reached his brain and he didn't know why he hadn't consciously thought about it in so long but yes, his boyfriend was actually bi. Did Sam miss girls? If not now, maybe in some years he would feel the need to connect with a woman on an intimacy level?

All Blaine knew about bisexual people was what Kurt had told him and that wasn't much, only a few bitter comments about how it wasn't 'real'.

Sam interrupted the phone connection and rolled his eyes to Blaine. "She wants the guy she's fake dating for PR reasons for real but he's in it because he's in the closet. What a mess, eh?"

"Mh", Blaine said. He observed Sam's face, still young and beautiful. Was it a mistake to marry so early in life?

"Well." Sam took his hand back and jumped from the bed. "Guess I owe our friends an apology."

Blaine slowly followed him to the door.

"Uhm, just out of curiosity… Did you ever have an affair with Kurt?"

"What, me? Are you serious?" Sam frowned as they stepped out to the hallway.

"Finn was telling some old Glee stories…"

"Finn's not taken to be serious, ever. Me and Kurt, oh God, no." Sam shook it off and Blaine had to laugh.

"I would've been very surprised anyway", he said. He took Sam's hand and made eye contact with him.

"Just so you know, our time in there earlier… you know you didn't force me, right, it's called seducing and I wanted it. And to be honest, it kind of was…" Blaine threw a look over his shoulder and lowered his voice.

"The best sex ever."

"Uh, thanks, I guess", Sam said with red cheeks.

"Maybe the semi-public space thing could become a kink for me."

"Oh God, what have I created?"

Blaine chuckled and shook his head. They came back to the cafeteria and joined their friends again; this time without black clouds over their heads.

 

Later that night Sam sat in the college library although school was over since hours. Ryder hadn't lied about the amount of homework they got but thankfully also not about his study group that actually met every night to keep up with everything.

Sam hoped he didn't need to show up every night, though. He needed time for his boyfriend. He knew Blaine wanted to be here but giving up NYADA? That was big, man, and shouldn't have been decided in a rush.

"Earth to Sam, we're on task five now?" Ryder's pen nudged Sam's shoulder.

"Oh, yeah, I was listening."

"Thinking about Blaine?" Ryder asked.

"Did I tell you we're getting married this month? You're coming, right?"

"Of course", Ryder nodded. "We're not going to miss that event."

Chelsey, the blonde girl sitting next to Ryder, crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair while her eyes were getting very small.

"Speak for yourself. Why should I go to a wedding of people who I don't know, and who marry although only nineteen years old?"

"She's kidding", Ryder quietly said to Sam, who darted his eyes at Chelsey. Why did Ryder even date that girl? Marley was so much nicer!

So when everybody went back to work, doing math and whatnot, Sam got out his phone.

To Marley:  _Hey so y did u &ryder break up again? _

While he waited for an answer he pretended to also do homework until he realized that he did want to get good grades and actually read the page in the book. This was hard, how was Ryder doing it, seriously, how?

Marley:  _because Ryder is stupid_

Huh, okay, Sam couldn't argue against that. But wouldn't it be nice if they got back together in time for his and Blaine's wedding? So Chelsey wouldn't have to be there.

_Looks like Blond Chameleon got a new mission_ , Sam thought with only a small smile on his face.

 

Tuesday, October 13th 2015, 18 days until Halloween

  
  


Blaine had taken matters into his own hands. Right now he had the lists of people they wanted to be part of their wedding in front of him. He would call them and invite them right away but one problem came up.

Gay marriage wasn't a legal thing in Ohio.

His pen impatiently tipped against the paper. Then he opened his laptop and went online. Maybe they could get a license in New York but still have a ceremoney here or something like that, there had to be loop holes, right?

Only a few seconds later Blaine's eyes got big as he stared on the screen. He had to be dreaming!

"Same-sex marriage in Ohio is legal under the U.S. Supreme Court, a landmark decision in which the court struck down Ohio's statutory and constitutional bans on the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples on June 26, 2015", he read out loud a few times. In fact, it took four times until he actually got what the website was saying and a grin spread all over his face.

Finally things turned out in their favor! How had Blaine missed this important political development? It had happened four month ago, well, to be fair he had been quite busy with school.

"Yes!" Blaine jumped up from his chair and ran downstairs. In the kitchen he hugged his mother tightly, in the living room he squeezed his dad's shoulder and drummed against Martina's back, very lightly of course.

"Yes, yes, yes! It's legal, it's happening!" he exclaimed. "Isn't the world a beautiful place?  _Jooooooy to the wooooorld!_ "

Martina turned around from where she was watching Piper Rome lying on a baby blanket.

"What's going on?" she wanted to know.

"I'm happy! I'm happy in love!"

And with that, Blaine stormed up the stairs again to grab his car keys.

 

The sun was warm, sending glistening beams to those colorful, magical trees on front of the college, the most beautiful college in the world.

Like yesterday, Blaine couldn't stop grinning. He sat on a wall and enjoyed the outdoors, his feet waggling while he looked at his watch every minute. Finally, the door bell rang and Blaine jumped down. Of course it still took some time until the first students came out and so he paved up and down the road because his legs were restless.

"Blaine!"

Sam came down the front stairs and waved, and Blaine couldn't hold back anymore. He jogged to his boyfriend and jumped him, yes, right there, threw his arms around his neck and went for his mouth.

Sam did a good job by catching him and not stumbling much.

"Woah", he laughed while Blaine couldn't stop kissing him. "What's…"

"Happy, happy, happy", Blaine giggled between his smacks.

"That's how I like my fiancé", Sam agreed. He let Blaine down and put his hands on his shoulders.

"Did you get into a school?"

"We're getting married, Sam!"

Suddenly a strong force swept him from his feet and the railing of the stairs banged against Blaine's arm. Sam, too, got shoved against it while some people laughed.

"Faggotts!" a boy called. "Have to rub it in our faces, don't you?"

"Disgusting" a girl said.

Blaine held his right arm as he stabilised his stand. Before he could do anything else Sam stood in front of him.

"How dare you!" he said.

"That's the new guy from English", the girl said.

"How dare  _I?_ You are the one contaminating the whole school" the bully said. He was a normal weighed guy with his backpack over his shoulder, his hair brown and short and under normal circumstances you surely would've thought he was a nice guy.

"Being gay is not an illness", Sam said.

"No, it's worse because an illness you can be cured", the bully said. His girlfriend snickered, took his arm and they walked down the stairs.

"What just happened?" Blaine asked. Somehow the world was grey again, the magic was gone.

"I will report them", Sam snorted.

"Ouh." Blaine rubbed his lower arm but that didn't help the sharp pain running through it.

"And I thought we left stuff like that behind us." Sam hit against the railing. Then he stepped to Blaine and put a hand on his back.

"Are you okay?"

"It's just a bruise", Blaine shrugged. "It'll heal."

Sam drew in air and took up Blaine's arm. His blue sleeve had a red spot on it.

"You're bleeding, let's go to the nurse."

"I'm not a student here."

"To the hospital then."

"It's just a scratch, Sam, really, it's nothing." Blaine turned the tables and took Sam's hand.

"Can we forget about this? This was a wonderful day until a few minutes ago, I have good news."

Sam inhaled deeply, his mouth ends drawn down. But then he nodded.

"Let's go home."

In the car Blaine had plenty of time to remember why he had wanted to live in New York so badly. No openly anti-gay movement would ever manifest there, it was one of the most respectful gay friendliest cities in the world. Or at least in the States - it ranked second right after Los Angeles according to the Vocativ Queer Index.

Ohio wasn't even on the list.

Sam's hands were cramped on the steering wheel and Blaine threw his boyfriend a look every now and then.

"I'm angry, okay?" Sam said after what felt like the tenth look.

"Yeah, alright."

"Such stupid, dumb, brainless jerks!"

"Gay marriage is legal in Ohio."

"What?" Surprised Sam turned his head.

"Since June." Blaine offered a smile.

Sam looked back at the street and took a deep breath.

"That  _are_ good news."

"Yes." Blaine felt the joy he had felt earlier rising again and he smiled. Sam glances at him, and finally smiled, too.

"Man, wow. Yeah, that's… great, so great! I'll call my parents right away. What date then? Today is the thirteenth, do you think we could do the twenty-fifth?"

"I don't know, I kind of want to check with Cooper because I want him to be my best man."

"Sure, right. Mine will be Finn."

"Do we also need bride maids?" Blaine asked.

"But there's no bride", Sam said.

"That's too much planning already, anyway. Let's first do the small ceremony and leave the other stuff for the big feast."

"Okay." Sam grinned. His right hand queezed Blaine's knee.

"Man, it's happening!"

"Yes!" Blaine took the hand with both of his while a heavy burden left his shoulders. The law was with them now, that was a huge improvement of gay rights. And maybe with time people in Ohio would start to think different, too.

 

Only hours later relatives and local friends were informed and asked to keep their schedules clear once again. While Sam was still on the phone with his parents Blaine went to the bathroom to renew the bandage around his arm by putting some ointment on it. Hopefully that bully wouldn't bother Sam much in the future. Blaine would ask Finn and Ryder to have an eye on him, just in case.

He came into his room when his phone went and answered it with: "I have good news!"

"No, I'm calling you with my news so I go first", Tina said. "They are all  _such_ bitches! Why does the world hate me, Blaine?"

"Uh… what happened?"

"I told my fraterny sisters about the pregnany, and they threw me out! Can you believe them!?"

"What? Why?"

"Because I will get fat and ugly", Tina said, and then she sniffed. "I actually will, Blaine, no one will love me, ever!"

"Uhm… maybe the father of the baby…"

"No! We don't speak of him!"

"Okay."

Blaine took his laptop to bed and settled down on it. Oh, he  _so_ wanted to spread the news and tell everybody! So he went to facebook.

"…need a manicure, too, but my parents allowance is sooo low and…" Tina babbled on.

"Hey, Tina, guess what?" Blaine interrupted her. "Sam and I are getting married this month. We are setting a date as we speak!"

Blaine grinned as frantically as he could.

"But you  _can't_ ! Absolutly not! Blaine, have you lost your mind?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh my God, you're nineteen! You're only at the beginning of becoming who you are, and forming your life, and you will change so much in the next years, everybody does. And what about your career? Do you even have time for relationship stuff right now?"

"I'll make time."

"And you are sure that this will work? What is Sam doing with his life, anyway? Do you really want to marry a loser?"

"Tina, watch it!" Blaine said. "Where is this coming from, I mean, ever since senior year you're so  _angry_ at Sam. What has he ever done to you?"

"It's not about Sam, this is about you! At this age you should think about yourself first, about where you want your life to go! You still have so much time to marry and be with someone, no matter who turns out to be the right one in the end."

"But I already found my right one."

"Blaine." Tina's voice got lower – finally – and she took a deep breath.

"Remember how you thought exactly the same about Kurt? For many years even, you would have married him if you had been in New York with him and so would have had no opportunity to cheat on him."

"It's unfair to bring that up, that was –"

"Not as different as you think", she said. "Life will come between every couple at some time. That's a test. Have you and Sam gone through real hard times like long distance for half a year?"

"It were three months and then Sam came to New York", Blaine said.

"Exactly. He had the time back then but what if things change? What if you get separated for some time, and you realize he's not the one, either? Please, at least take some time to think about it. Maybe you could come here for a while so you can get your head clear?" Tina said, or rather begged.

"I was thinking about visiting you but not for that reason", Blaine said. "It must be hard to be alone in your situation…"

"It is", Tina affirmed. "I have to go alone to all my doctor appointments. What if something's wrong with the baby? I can't imagine…"

She sniffed and Blaine's fingers automatically closed facebook.

"I need to check in on New York first. I ask a friend to apartment sit and I'm worried about his qualities for that. It'll take only a day and then I come visit you. Can you send me some datas of hotels that are close to you?"

"Yes, of course! Thank you, Blaine, you're such a good friend!"

"I'm doing what I can."

After they had hung up Blaine stared at his computer screen. A few stones were tumbling through his stomach and he couldn't even say why.

A loud cry flew through the house and Blaine jerked up. One second he was frozen, then he ran out of his room to see if somebody was hurt. Noise came from downstairs, so he rushed there.

The front door banged closed. A moment later Blaine pulled it open and stepped out into the mild evening air. Sam was running down the street, already three houses away.

"Uhm…" Blaine scratched his head and looked over his shoulder.

His mother came into the hall. "What is happening?"

"If I only knew", Blaine said with a frown, looking after his gone wild fiancé.

Somewhere in the house, a baby was crying.

"Oh, dear!" His mother went up the stairs and Blaine stayed where he was for a moment. Then he retreated, left the door ajar and went to his room to pick up his phone.

He had told Sebastian to look for possible next tenants but how Blaine knew his friend he wouldn't have done this just yet. It's been only two days since Blaine and Sam had moved out, much of their stuff was still there. Everything had happened so fast and suddenly. Blaine had not really thought it through, well, sometimes love did that to you.

Though the art schools in Ohio weren't the best. Blaine had realised this yesterday when he had sent his applications in. He was applying for next year, too, this semester had already started. What should he do until then? And what chances did he have to get a career starting in, well, Ohio instead of  _New York?_

Blaine sighed and looked at Sebastian's contact. He didn't want to call this guy and hear all about what a stupid mistake he had made, quitting NYADA. Because what if it actually was a mistake and Tina as well as Sebastian and Kurt were right?

"Such an asshole!"

Sam came into the room, his face all red and sweat glistening on his forehead.

"What happened?"

Sam cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders.

"You didn't hit anybody, did you?" Blaine asked.

"That's pretty hard over the phone", Sam said. He pulled his shirt over the head and threw it into the corner right next to the laundry basket.

"Your father didn't like the news", Blaine concluded.

"I shouldn't be surprised", Sam said as he got out of his jeans, too. "When I was there last month I whined how you didn't have any time for me. That's the last thing they heard about us, and now I'm calling with a wedding invitation. And you know what my father thinks of us, anyway. I need a cold shower."

Sam got a towel out of the cupboard while Blaine eyed his boyfriend's flexing muscles. Nice.

Then he was alone again and lowered his eyes. His phone had gone dark. Well, he first had to book a flight anyway.

 

Wednesday, October 14th 2015, 17 days until Halloween

  
  


At nine o'clock in the morning Blaine unlocked the door to the apartment and pulled his bag in. He had been up since five, stupid last minute flights who always only where available in the middle of the night.

He did notice the chaos all around him, walked over magazines and dirty laundry and fell into a cold bed that smelled like tobacco intead of Sam. But then he was asleep already.

 

"I don't care! He's here, he's going to hear this!"

Rachel's voice entered the room, and Blaine yawned. One moment later footsteps came in.

"Ah, you're awake, good. Can you come to the living room?" Rachel asked.

"Hey, Rachel… what's up", Blaine mumbled.

"You are up! Come on."

She left the door wide open and went away. Blaine took a minute to gather his senses, then went after her. When he entered the living room he had the strange feeling that he was still dreaming.

A big signpost hung between the windows, the word 'Intervention' written on it. On the couch sat Kurt, Rachel and Sebastian.

"That's an unusual sight", Blaine said. He drove a hand through his hair and was about to ask for information but his friends started speaking.

"You are not yourself, my friend", Rachel began.

"Uhm… yes I am?"

"You quit NYADA", Kurt shook his head. "Since I know you you wanted to go to New York and become a great performer. And as far as I know you still want that, you only gave it up so you don't have to be separated from Sam."

"He's the love of my life", Blaine said. The sleep left his body while anger roared up.

"And no one is doubting that, Blaine", Rachel said. "We all here are pro Blam, we know how much you need each other."

"Then why…"

"But listen to us, okay? Please?"

Blaine sighed and gestured them to go on while he sat down on the rest of an armchair.

"Since I've known you…" Kurt began.

"Since  _I've_ known him", Sebastian spoke up. "I think we all agree that I know him longest so this is my turn here."

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"So, Blaine." Sebastian leaned towards the table and pushed something to Blaine. He took it up. It was a photo of him during freshman year at Dalton when he had been elected president of the Warblers. Young Blaine's eyes were as bright as the sun.

"So?" Blaine asked.

"When you started at Dalton you were a scared little boy", Sebastian said. "Mr. Smith said something about bullying at your old school. You barely spoke up in the first days and didn't want to join the Warblers when I said you should. You even tried to appear straight! But with time you realised that no one at Dalton got bullied because of their sexuality, and may I say I was a very good role model back then, being openly gay and all."

"Openly hitting on me, you mean."

"That's what I said. Performing with the Warblers opened you up and suddenly you were a ray of sunshine that everybody loved and adored. Literally everybody. You are still a legend at Dalton, you know that, right?"

"What Sebastian is trying to say is that you become a whole different person when you're on the stage. You let go of all fear and doubts and put a spell on everyone listening to you, and I might say it's no coincidence that all peoeple present in this room used to have a crush on you at one time or the other", Kurt said.

"What…" Blaine shook his head.

"You spread love", Rachel nodded. "And the world needs that. The world needs you. In New York, on Broadway, reaching a big audience. Look at me, I made the biggest mistake when I quit NYADA because I thought Funny Girl would be my break through. But education  _is_ worth a lot."

She sighed. "I would do everything for a second chance. I mean, surely I'll get famous but it will take more time without the chances NYADA is offering."

Blaine held up a hand.

"Guys, that is really nice of you and all, but I quit already. I gave my resignation letter to the Dean on Friday."

Sebastian cleared his throat.

"No, you didn't."

He got out a white envelope and held it up.

"Uh… what?" Blaine squinted his eyes.

"Did you really think we were going to let you quit that easily?" Sebastian said.

"We?"

"I might have let go of some grudges, not all of course, to give a helping hand there", Kurt said.

"What? And how…" Blaine couldn't say anything else, because what was there to say? This was outragous!

"You put it in the mail box", Kurt remembered him.

"And we might or might not have distracted the assistant while the mail box got mysteriously damaged", Sebastian said. "But that's not the point."

"The point is", Rachel said. She put her hand flat on the table and Blaine jerked up.

"This is who you are. Do you deny it makes your heart burn? Do you deny that you feel the call of Broadway in your veins?"

"I… don't deny it", Blaine said, driving a hand over his forehead. "But…"

"Would Sam want you to give up your dream for him?"

"Of course not. But… there are art schools in Ohio, too."

Kurt snorted.

"Did you listen to what I just said?" Rachel asked.

"Let's move on to the second part." Sebastian cruckled his knuckles and threw a look to Kurt, a look that Blaine followed. He frowned when he saw that Kurt returned it, in a not-hostile way. Did they really become friends over the goal of ruing Blaine's love life?

"I was your first boyfriend", Kurt said, looking at Blaine. "Your first love."

Blaine put a hand on his face. Please, what now?

"And you were clingy, over-protective and immediately started planning a family. You changed schools for me and were ready to give up your life. Does that sound healthy to you? It's time to live for yourself, not other people."

"Excuse me? I wasn't that pathetic!" Blaine said.

"The point is, while you are brilliant on the stage you are very insecure when it comes to your private life. Is that because of the bullying in your first high school or because your father wanted you to be straight?" Kurt asked.

"Don't forget his brother", Sebastian said.

"Of course, the brother who never acknolegded your talents", Kurt nodded.

"This has got nothing to do with my family", Blaine said.

"Of course it hasn't", Rachel said, throwing a stern look at Kurt.

"Blaine, you want both, love and career", she said to him. "And if you choose to stay in Ohio and marry, I'm sure you and Sam would have the happiest life, with kids and laughter and love."

"Thank you", Blaine said.

"But." Rachel lifted a finger. "You wouldn't get to be on Broadway, singing your soul out to the world."

"Maybe…" Blaine stopped and slid onto the arm chair. Maybe what? Maybe he would get to sing in country clubs? What was he doing? His friends were right, his place was at NYADA. He was born to go to Broadway.

"All I'm saying is, you should think about yourself. Talk to Sam, find a solution. Maybe he can find a college here, or something, I don't know", Rachel said. "But you owe it to yourself. To the world."

Blaine bit his lip and stared at the table. Sebastian slid him the resignation letter.

"You haven't even missed a week", he said.

"I told Mrs. Tibideaux you had a family emergency", Kurt said.

"You can still quit if you want to", Sebastian said. "But not out of spite, and not without talking to Sam first. Make sure both of your needs get met."

"You sound so  _sensible_ ", Blaine complained.

"I've never been anything but", Sebastian said.

"Yeah, right." Blaine exhaled and locked eyes with Rachel. She knew what music and singing was all about; they all knew him so well.

His eyes fell on the Intervention-sign and Blaine sighed.

"Okay, I'll think about it."

"I knew you'd come to your senses." Sebastian clapped.

"I'm flying to Rhode Island tonight."

"Excuse me, what?" Rachel said.

"It's… I promised Tina…"

"Well, unpromise her." Kurt got up and left the room.

"It's not that easy. She's in a very stressful situation", Blaine said to his remaining friends.

"Maybe you could take a holiday semester", Sebastian suggested. "So you'd have time for Sam and Tina but are still enrolled in NYADA."

"Are you insane?" Rachel turned to him. "Blaine can't do that, that's out of the question."

"No, yes, that's exactly what I'm doing! Yes." Blaine got up and spontaniously hugged Sebastian.

"Perfect solution for now, thanks!"

"Uh, you're welcome?"

"Now, who wants sparkling cyder?" Kurt came back with four glasses in his hands.

They all did.

 

_ Coming up: _ Blaine meets Tina but is that really a good idea? Sam has plans to visit his family for a serious 'accept Blaine into the family' talk.

 


	6. Damocles’ Sword

Forbid him to marry,  _forbid_ him? Really?

Sam's pen thrust against the paper so hard it almost tore apart. He couldn't believe his father. He was nineteen, no one could forbid him to marry whomever he wanted! Why couldn't Dwight stop talking about 'it's a phase'? He should know by now it wasn't; Sam and Blaine where together for almost two years. Sam hadn't been this long with anybody before. His longest relationship had been those five months with Brittany, and in the last months they hadn't even met up for dates or anything because she had forgotten about it. (And Sam had been pretty busy having fun with Blaine, too. Ah, good old times.)

"I'm a grown up", Sam mumbled when he was on his locker.

"Are you talking to yourself?"

Finn hit Sam's shoulder and Sam hit back, maybe a tad too hard.

"Ouch, what the hell?" Finn complained.

"When my family was broke I went dancing so my siblings didn't have to go hungry. I basically did what my Dad should have done, and now he wants to forbid me to marry? Excuse me but that's just sick", Sam said.

"I don't think your Dad would've made much money stripping", Finn argumented.

"He treats me like a child although I'm more mature than he is!" Sam stuffed his English book into his locker.

"Well, he can't forbid you so go on with it", Finn said.

"When I do that he'll disown me."

"What?"

"Yeah." Sam rolled his eyes. "It's not really a legal thing in Kentucky but he said he'll delete me from his will and won't talk to me and all that shit."

"That  _is_ sick!"

"I know!"

"What's your mother saying?"

Sam closed his locker and they made their way to the cafeteria.

"She thinks my dad's overreacting but she also says a wedding this young isn't very clever, I should wait and see how things go, yadda, yadda."

"And Blaine?"

"Haven't told him the details yet."

Finn sighed. "Heavy stuff, heavy."

"Do you think we're too young, too?" Sam asked when they took a tablet and got in line. "You once wanted to marry and then cancelled it so Rachel could go and live her dream in New York. Why did you, how did you do that?"

Finn shrugged.

"I don't know, I mean I loved her and wanted to be with her but we also wanted different things from life. She wanted to be a star in New York and I, well, I didn't quite know what I wanted but New York is  _such_ a big city, you know? That's not for me."

"Mh, yeah, I see your point." Sam walked steadily along the counter and choose his food. "But  _how_ did you do it? How did you let go?"

"It wasn't easy but I knew that she had to go to NYADA and I had signed up for the army. We would've been separated anyway and so…"

"And it was the end of it all! You never tried to get her back then. You just… didn't."

Sam gulped. He didn't understand it, how could Finn have done nothing?

"She moved on, Sam, and I let her. At least until I heard that her boyfriend was a callboy, then I went and hit him."

"Wow, how mature. And after that?"

Finn shrugged again, and they searched for a table.

"I wanted her back but she didn't want to. What could I have done?"

"And now?"

"Now I'm dating other girls."

"But your  _feelings_ . Is Rachel the love of your life?"

"You ask a lot of questions, my friend."

They settled down on an empty table.

"I need to know if I can compare me and Blaine to you and Rachel", Sam said.

"Comparing never helps."

Sam began eating his salad and nodded.

"And, you know, sometimes you have to make other experiences before you can settle down with the love of your life", Finn said.

"Uhu! So you do still love her!"

"All I'm saying is, if she wanted to I wouldn't say no. But maybe it's not meant to be, I don't know. You lived with her last year, by now you know her better than me."

Sam shook his head. "Hasn't really changed at all."

Finn smiled.

"Though she did ring me on Monday to get some tipps how to seduce a gay guy."

"Huh. Interesting", Finn said. He bit in a burger and chewed.

"Is your day as horrible as mine?"

Marley put down her tablet in front of Sam and sat down which reminded Sam of his mission.

"Yes, totally", he said. "My stupid dad thinks he can forbid me to marry."

"My stupid ex is making out with his new girlfriend in the hallway."

"That's bad but mine is worse", Sam said. "I could help you win him back, though."

"I don't want him back", Marley said. "I want to find a new boyfriend."

Sam pointed his fork at Finn.

"Here's a guy looking for casual dating."

"Not one of my friends, no, thank you."

"You didn't even look at him", Sam complained while Finn frowned at him.

"When have you ever successfully set up two people?"

"Marley, do you think Blaine and me are too young to marry?" Sam asked since Finn hadn't answered that question.

"Whether you are too young or not isn't something anybody else can tell you", Marley said. "It depends on the couple. Have both of you developed a strong, independent personality?"

"Uhm… yes?"

"Yes?" Finn's eyes got as huge as saucers. "You say you could live on your own, totally okay with it and not crying like a baby?"

"I don't know what you mean. I lifed three months without Blaine once and I came out of it stronger than ever. Also, love isn't equal dependency."

"Blaine gave up NYADA so you two wouldn't be separated", Finn said.

"That's love." Sam nodded.

"Or dependency."

"What, I'm not going to break up with him and wait for him for years while he's dating other people.  _That's_ stupid."

"But it also shows strength, right, Marley?" Finn said.

"Whatever."

They fell silent for a while and Sam obeyed the surroundings. He was going to college, it was a totally new way of life! He was free at last.

Sure, he had been free in New York, too, but he hadn't had a mission there. School was exhausting but at least he had a destination. And it wasn't the worst to have old friends with him while he went here. Yes, he truly had embarked on a quest to his true self, to become a grown-up with a satisfying life.

But what did that mean for Blaine and him? There was a lump in Sam's throat that wouldn't go away. He couldn't let Blaine sacrifice his career. Maybe three years in a long distance relationship would be over in no time?

 

Thursday, October 15th 2015, 16 days until Halloween

 

They spend the day in Providence and Blaine got to see many tourist attracks like the Waterplace Park and historical buildings like the Athenaeum, the fourth oldest library in the country.

"Here, on one of his many visits to Providence, Edgar Allan Poe met and courted a love interest named Sarah Helen Whitman. Poe was a regular fixture there, as was H. P. Lovecraft (who was born in Providence); both of them influential writers of gothic literature." (*)

Tina gave the pamphlet she just read out loud to Blaine so he could see it with his own eyes.

"Gothic literature?" he asked. "Is that something you like?"

"It's not as bad as other stuff that we have to read in class." Tina shrugged and went along the book shelf but Blaine could tell that she was playing it down.

"It's good to have passion for something, you know that, right? You don't always have to be cool", he said as he followed her.

The library was huge and very light, set up with white shelfs and glass on the ceiling where daylight flowed in. Blaine could imagine how comfortable it would be to spend the day studying in this amazing building.

"Of course I have to, how else would I get friends?" Tina said. "I'm not like you, not everybody falls in love with me the second they set eyes on me."

"Nobody falls in love with me", Blaine said. "Don't underestimate yourself. You are in the Glee club, haven't you won friends there?"

"It's not like in McKinley", Tina sighed. "I miss you, you know? All of you."

"Aw… Tina. You'll find some friends here, I'm sure."

He would have liked to mention that she must have at least one friend, seeing that she had made a baby with him but he bit his tongoe.

 

Later they went to a café and drank hot chocolate. Halloween decorations where set up here with garlands of bats and spiderwebs in the corners. Still it rather looked cosy than spooky.

Of course, when Blaine told Tina his most recent NYADA story she squealed.

"But Blaine!"

"Wait, that's not the end to it. Kurt and Sebastian, who have the strangest agreement in history or something, have blocked my resignation letter from arriving. Now I'm taking a holiday semester to get my head clear", Blaine told her quickly. He had filled out the appilcation to take a vacation and hoped it would get approved very soon.

"Oh, well, you better stay there after all your work to get there." She shook her head. "Why would you even… You are  _so_ out of your mind, Blaine, don't you see what's happening? You have some kind of disease that makes you give up everything when you're in love. You should take a step back to get some distance."

"You mean, come and live here?" Blaine asked ominously.

"Can you think clear while Sam's around?"

"Of course I can."

"And what would you do while he's in school?"

"What would I do here?"

"Help me get ready being a mum, for example? Because I'm not ready. My life is being taken from me. I have no choice, Blaine, but you have. You are so lucky to be a boy." She sighed.

"You could have used protection", Blaine mumbled.

"It wasn't like we planned it! Mike came to visit and we got drunk and… things happened."

Blaine's jaw dropped and he stared at her.

"Mike's the father?"

"Oh, darn."

"It's a Glee baby?"

"I would have thought Brittany would be the first to have a kid." Tina took her glass and sipped blueberry milkshake through the straw.

"Does he know?"

"Of course not."

"What… why? I mean… he would be there for you."

"I don't want him to. After he left he never called although we agreed to stay in contact. He's the biggest jerk ever." With a loud clang Tina put her glass down.

"Probably has a girl over there in Chicago."

"What school is he…"

"Joffrey Ballet Academy of Dance", Tina said before Blaine finished his question. "And he's the best in his class, too."

Blaine pulled an impressed face. But it was so sad. It looked like college was breaking up all couples who loved each other.

"Why can't life freeze until college is over?" he asked. "That would solve so many problems."

"Life's stupid, that's why."

Blaine leaned back and sighed. He'd rather not think about the future and how he would decide regarding colleges. If he wanted to stay in NYADA he sooner or later had to get back to living in New York. While this wasn't the worst thing it did put him and Sam in the long distance position again. For two or more years.

"Oh… it's all so hopeless", he said while he finished his coffee.

"How long are you staying here?"

Blaine shrugged. He hadn't booked a flight back yet since he had gotten a cheap last minute one-way-flight.

"At least until tomorrow, right? Let's get something to drink and later go to a karaoke bar. I want to forget everything."

"You can't drink, Tina, you're... you know what." Blaine gestured to her.

"I will only drink one glass, come on, don't be a partypooper."

How could Blaine say no to this nice invitation?

 

Friday, October 16th 2015, 15 days until Halloween

 

Finally Friday! Sam threw his bag on the back seat and got into his car. He really didn't look forward to facing his father but it couldn't go on like that. He had to accept Blaine into the family. He had to.

First Sam drove to the airport to get Blaine.

"Did you get in front of a truck?" Sam asked when he saw his fiancé, red eyes and almost no gel. They hugged.

"Nice to see you, too", Blaine said. When he leaned back Sam shortly pressed his lips against Blaine's.

"No, seriously, have you cried or what?"

"I've been up all night. Tina is crazy."

"So she hasn't changed, huh? Let me get that."

Sam took Blaine's bag and his hand as they walked to the exit.

"She really hasn't, no", Blaine said. "I realized it about five in the morning. Why is college screwing everything up, Sam?"

"It's not college. It's my father."

"No, I mean it. We want to get married because we think it will somehow magically save us from pain and separation and solve all of our problems when it fact nothing can do that. We're two different persons with different goals, nothing can change that and why would we even want to change that? We're both good as we are."

"We are", Sam agreed. They arrived at the car in the parking house and he put Blaine's bag in the trunk.

"Stupid college is the thing that separates people. Look at Tina and Mike, they broke up because they didn't want long distance. Same with Santana and Brittany, Finn and Rachel, everybody, really. It's all crap."

"Mh, I think you should get some sleep. We've got a long ride before us", Sam said. He got into the car, and Blaine followed his example.

"Maybe that's life." Blaine put his seat bell on. "Development and all. Will we still be same in five years? Will we want the same things?"

Sam frowned and hesitated to start the car. Blaine sounded like he was still drunk.

"What are you saying, maybe we won't want each other anymore?"

"No, I mean, what if we could fullfill each our potential but don't because we cling to each other? What if that's something that will hold us back in the end? We are born alone and we die alone, somebody once said, and I wonder if all great things in life have to happen while alone."

Sam sighed and turned around the key.

"Look, you seem to be in some sort of midlife-crisis", he said when he removed the car from the parking spot. "Better sleep it off."

"I'm still enrolled in NYADA, Sam."

"What?"

"Kurt and Sebastian made sure of that."

"I don't get it… how?"

Blaine started to tell all the details of what he had experienced in the last days and while Sam listened his heart got heavier and heavier. He had known it wouldn't be that easy. Blaine obviously loved living in New York and going to this great college there. He had known it but Blaine's words of finding an art school in Ohio had sounded so promising, so perfect. But like everything in life that sounded perfect, it wasn't.

 

An hour later the sun had settled down and it had gotten dark outside. Blaine was asleep for some time now and Sam really had to go to the toilet. He drove onto a rest area and locked the door of the car when he went to the bathroom. Then he bought a few snacks and ate them in the car while he watched the hushing stream of lights on the motor way.

There wasn't one single clear thought in his head. His mind went from Lima College to New York, from Finn to Rachel, from Broadway to a house in the suburbs in that Blaine’s talent would rot away.

Their lives were only beginning, not ending. And it was supposed to be an adventure, not an insurance.

After half on hour sitting in the dark car, Sam knew what he had to do.

 

(*wiki/Providence)

_ Coming up _ : Final chapter! How will Blam solve the problem? Or won't they? O.o

 


	7. Shattered

 

Saturday, October 17th 2015, 14 days until Halloween

 

"Hey, wake up, sleepy-head."

Blaine wanted to turn his head but his neck was stiff. So he opened his eyes.

"Oh my God, how long did I sleep?"

"The whole car ride, obviously." Sam stretched his arms and yawned. "Man, I'm going to sleep all day long."

Blaine looked out of the window. The sun stood low on the sky, and the people rushing by all wore uniforms and work clothes. Yellow cars drove by slowed down by the traffic so that pedestrians caught up with them. It was a normal morning in New York.

"Uh, wait, is this Cincinnatti?" Blaine asked, confused.

"Nah, we're in New York."

"Oh. Why?" Blaine rubbed over his stiff neck. He hated sleeping in the car.

"Because. Get out, will ya?"

When Sam opened the car door cold air came in and Blaine took a deep breath. Then he got out and before he knew it they stood in front of the building where their apartment was in.

Sam pressed his thumb on the 'Anderson/Evans' sign while Blaine yawned and couldn't wait to get coffee.

"Who's there?" the speaker asked.

"Us but we don't have a key", Sam said. "Spontaneous visit so send the party guests away."

"Idio-"

The connection was interrupted and the door opened. Sam let Blaine go in first and followed. In the lift they put their bags on the ground and Blaine looked into the mirror.

"Oh my God! My hair!"

"Sexy." Sam waggled with his eyebrows.

Blaine tried to flatten his hair with spit. It didn't work.

"At least he's home", Sam said when they got out on the eighth floor and walked up to their door.

"Nine o'clock on a Saturday is  _not_ the time for surprise visits", Sebastian said when they were in the apartment. He wore a white bath robe and his hair was wild, though not as wild as Blaine's.

"I don't care. I drove the whole night, I need my bed." Sam went to the bedroom.

"Wait! There's someone…" Sebastian said but Sam didn't listen and vanished into the room.

"In there", Sebastian sighed.

"Are you making coffee?" Blaine asked. He stood in front of the hallway mirror, a tube of gel in his hands. This was still his apartment, he still had all the necessary stuff here.

"What the hell?" Sam called. The bedroom door opened and he stormed out.

"Who's in my bed?"

"It's not your bed, you gave it to me, remember?" Sebastian said.

"I said you should sit my apartment, not turn it into a sex lounge."

"What time is it, and most importantly, why?"

Closing a red, silky bath robe and yawning widely, Kurt came out of the bedroom and got stared at by two very baffled young men.

"Kurt?" Blaine said. He looked at Sebastian, and back at his ex-boyfriend.

"Kurt, Kurt Hummel?" he asked again.

"Hey, sometimes things happen." Sebastian shrugged and went to the kitchen.

Meanwhile Kurt had opened his eyes and was stuttering under his breath; then he retreated and closed the bedroom door between them.

"Kurt and… Sebastian?" Blaine pointed from right to left and back.

"Ah… uhm… what?" Sam said.

"I'm still dreaming, right?"

"If so, I'm dreaming too."

"Kurt?"

"Stop it!" Sebastian called from the kitchen. "We're all adults here."

"I would disagree but I can't hold my eyes open", Sam said. He turned to Blaine. "I'll take the couch. Will you wake me up in a few hours, honey?"

"Yeah. Sure." Blaine said, still flustered. He kissed Sam good night, then went into the kitchen and sat down on the table.

"So… tell me more, tell me more, was it love at first sight?"

"Hilarious."

Sebastian put a mug of coffee in front of Blaine, who took many gulps from it.

"Why should I tell you, you weren't very supportive when it came to Kurt and me."

"Because it's the most unlikely thing on earth!" Blaine said. "I'm still not sure I didn't hallucinate."

"You didn't." Sebastian took two plates with scrambled eggs on the table, one he pushed to Blaine.

"I don't know, lately we did things together without fighting too much, and then kinda…" Sebastian shrugged.

"When?"

"Last weekend. Kurt didn't want to tell anybody just yet."

"Wait, wait, wait." Blaine stopped all eating and drinking and squinted his eyes at Sebastian.

" _What_ didn't he want to tell? This is only physical, right?"

Sebastian shrugged. "We kind of did other things like… eating out, going to the movies, talking clothes and judged other students during lunch break at NYADA…"

"So you spend time together."

"Yeah."

"Voluntarily. More than necessary."

"Yup."

"You're…  _dating?"_

"You make it sound so gross."

"Excuse me for being more than surprised." Blaine shook his head and finished his breakfast.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Sebastian poured himself another cup of coffee.

"Actually, I would like to know that, too. I got into the car, thinking we are on our way to Sam's parents. But I fell asleep soon and woke up fifteen minutes ago, here."

"Sounds like you're getting another surprise today."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Sam is thinking something by coming here, isn't he?"

Blaine sipped from his coffee while his brain slowly awoke. This was unusual, yes. Sam had wanted to spend the weekend in Kentucky. He had to be back in Lima on Monday, so why the change of plan?

"Maybe he brought me here so we could get married with all our supporters present", Blaine mumbled.

"Elope? My, oh my. Sounds like something Sam would do. But would you? Without your family?"

Blaine shrugged and leaned back. They hadn't found a solution for the future yet but there would always be issues and obstacles and they would get through them. Why not marry and forget about their problems for a few days or even weeks?

"Yeah." He nodded, and a grin spread on his face. "I would. I am ready."

"Marry and face three years long distance?" Sebastian said.

"It's only an eight hour car ride", Blaine said. Before he could think more about it, Kurt's voice made him turn his head again.

"Blaine? Oh my God, Blaine."

Now dressed, he came into the kitchen.

"I didn't want you to find out like that."

Blaine laughed. "Oh, but it was the best way possible."

"You're in a good mood", Kurt said. He let go of himself and sat down, stealing some bacon from Sebastian's plate.

"He just realized he's going to get married today", Sebastian said.

And then it happened. Maybe it was Blaine's imagination but in front of his eyes everything turned into slow-motion. Kurt leaned over and their mouths, they met, it gave a smacking noise, and Kurt turned back to Blaine as if the world hadn't stopped.

Blaine could only stare.

"I said congratulations!" Kurt waved a hand in front of Blaine's eyes.

"Oh, yeah, no problem."

"What?" Kurt frowned.

"What?" Blaine said, too.

Sebastian laughed and pointed his phone at Blaine. When it clicked as an indicator that he had taken a photo, Blaine shook his head and forced himself to think clearly.

"I need a shower. Can I use the shower?" he asked.

"This is still your apartment", Sebastian said.

"Oh. Yeah."

Blaine walked into the bedroom to gather some clothes. This was the weirdest day ever. Kurt and Sebastian. No way! And, oh gosh, did Sam really want to marry? Would October the seventeenth be their wedding day, at last?

 

A few hours later Kurt and Sebastian had left and Blaine had tidied up as good as he could without waking up Sam. Eventually the blond opened his eyes, though, and immediately looked at a grinning Blaine who sat at the end of the couch.

"What?" Sam asked as he sat up.

"I know why we’re here, in New York."

"I doubt it."

"I know." Blaine nodded. "And I am ready."

"We're here because you're life is here", Sam said.

"My… life?" Blaine frowned. Was that a riddle?

"Let me have a coffee and a shower, then I'll explain", Sam said. Blaine got a kiss and was alone again.

His life. Mmmmh, his married life, starting today?

Hummingly he also tidied the living room until Sam finally came back. His hair was still wet and sexy, he had a mug in his hands and sat down on the couch, eyes on the floor. Blaine sat next to him and put a hand on his arm which finally made Sam look up.

His eye were watery.

"What?" Blaine asked, suddenly not joyful anymore. At all.

"We're getting married today, right?" he still said.

Sam shook his head.

"Then  _what?_ What is going on, Sam?"

"I realised something. We  _are_ too young. You belong here, you are destined to become a big star on Broadway heaven."

"And you?"

Sam shrugged. "I found my place in Lima College. We are like Finn and Rachel, as much as I hate to admit it."

Blaine took back his hand and glided away.

"Meaning we shouldn't be together? Where is this coming from now?"

"Don't look at it like that. We  _will_ marry; some day. First it's your time to shine."

Blaine sighed and shook his head.

"You're freaking me out, Sam. Have you eaten?"

"No."

"I'll make you something."

In the kitchen, Blaine put eggs and bacon in a pan and waited until it sizzled. Then he realised tears were falling down his cheeks and he wiped them away.

"What is this all about?" Blaine asked when Sam joined him.

"Everything."

"Where did you get this idea?"

"I don't know, you told me about NYADA and how you're still enrolled and what Kurt and Rachel said… and you sounded so enthusiastic and full of life. And I knew this is what you're supposed to do."

"And…" Blaine didn't know what to say. College tore people apart.

"And you'll stay in Lima?" he asked with a dry voice.

"For now." Sam still only watched his mug.

"That means long distance, Sam. Do you remember how hard that is? And what about… I mean… the wedding?"

"You were eager to postpone it only last month."

Blaine handled the food, put in on a plate and set it in front of Sam while he sat down opposite to him. It was true, last month he had suggested moving the wedding to a less stressful date. Things were different now, though! Blaine was taking a holiday semester, he had time.

But Sam had started college.

"Why do we have such a damn timing?" he asked. "And why did you enroll in a college immedieately after you heard they still had openings? I can remember you not being that eager to get anywhere."

"It's not my fault, okay?" Sam said. "I found my mission in life."

"You found Finn and decided to copy him."

"That's not fair." Sam stabbed his food with his fork.

"But it's true, isn't it? Oh, Finn's there and Ryder and Marley and it all will be like in high school. Well, it won't, Sam."

Sam puckered his lips and laid his fork down.

"What, you want me to drop out? And then what?"

Blaine tore his hair. "I don't know. Do some soul searching. I mean, what will you do with your college degree? What's the dream behind all this?"

"I don't know yet!"

"Right, but you've found your mission in life. Sure."

Blaine got up.

"I have a good feeling about it, so why not?" Sam asked.

"Go to Lima then. Have fun."

He left the kitchen so he didn't have to see Sam's face anymore, and also exited the apartment. Fresh air. He needed fresh air.

 

When Sam had finished packing a second bag he went to the living room and stared out of the window. Blaine had been gone for two hours already. When would he come back? Did he really want Sam to go to Lima without saying goodbye, parting with a fight?

But then again, what should they say to each other? Blaine needed to calm down first and see how Sam's plan was the best for everybody. What were three years, right, when they had their whole lives in front of them? They had managed long distance once, they could do it again.

Sam tried to call him but only got to voice mail. His texts weren't answered. If Blaine was waiting until Sam's car would be gone he was waiting in vain. Sam had the whole weekend and he wouldn't yield.

Nope, instead he called Rachel.

"Is he with you?"

"Oh Sam", Rachel sighed. "What have you done?"

"Nothing except being sensible. Tell him to come home or I will come to the loft."

"Should I tell it like a thread or a plead?"

"Neither."

"If you had a private plane you could easily see each other every weekend", Rachel suggested.

"Oh, thanks for the idea, yeah, let's go buy a plane." Sam rolled his eyes.

"Or you could find a college here in New York."

"Right, because those accept below-average students."

"You never know!"

"Can I talk to Blaine, please?"

There was a brief pause, then Blaine said: "What?"

"Hey, this was supposed to be a romantic gesture. You know, like Finn once brought Rachel to the train station instead of marrying her."

"So you're saying you want to break up with me."

"No, that's not –"

"Because three year long distance is a death sentence for every relationship."

"It doesn't have to –"

"And you know that this is my kryptonite, that I have made bad experiences with long distance."

"But this is us and –"

The connection was interrupted. Sam looked at his phone and gulped. He hadn't imagined the outcome like that. He hadn't thought Blaine would immediately love it but some joy about not having to give up his big New York dream… Sure, long distance was hard. Sam knew that. But they could make it, they could!

Maybe Sam should have talked to Blaine instead of simply putting him back into the apartment. Man, why did he always do this, act before thinking? First the college enrolling, now this. Blaine was right to be furious.

But really, what else could they do?

 

Sunday, October 18th 2015, 13 days until Halloween

 

Sam opened his eyes but it stayed dark. Something had woken him up and a moment later he knew what. The door to the room opened and he heard quiet footsteps.

"Blaine?" he mumbled.

Someone got into the bed, cold clothes meeting Sam's warm skin.

"I'm still mad", Blaine whispered.

"Okay."

Sam pressed his nose into his lover's neck and inhaled. Ah, good. He was asleep again before he knew it. Maybe he wouldn't have passed out that easily had he known it would be the last time he was so close to Blaine.

 

The next time Sam awoke it was light outside, a grey sky greeting him to another day of this horrible month of October. No pumpkin spice and no red trees could make him feel good this morning. The other side of the bed was empty again, too.

He swallowed down the lump in his stomach – it landed in his guts – and got up.

Blaine sat on the couch in the living room, his legs pressed against his body and a mug on his knees. He didn't turn his head when Sam greeted him, and Sam sat down in the armchair.

After many long minutes Blaine said: "Sitting here won't solve anything. Go and have breakfast or something."

"Come with me to the Empire State Building", Sam said, without ever having planned to. Hey, when his intuition made him things screw up the least it could do was give him ideas to calm the storm afterward.

"What?" Blaine frowned at him.

"Just… come."

"No. No, you will say beautiful words that will make me love you even more and think we'll last forever and then we get down to the ground and nothing will have changed." Blaine shook his head and changed his position to lotus, taking his mug into both hands and sipping on it.

"But –"

"I can't do this anymore, Sam, it's one day in heaven and the next falling flat on the head with you."

"Excuse me?" The lump in Sam's guts exploded and paralyzed his limps. This wasn't what Blaine was supposed to say.

"It's not all my fault, okay?" he tried to defend himself. "I wouldn't have gone to Lima in the first place if you hadn't been so busy."

"Then why don't you just say it instead of leaving, and when I try to be with you pushing me away? Just  _say it_ ."

"Say what?"

Blaine gave Sam a look that finally pushed his heart to break, the sharp pieces of it cutting into his intestines until they bled.

He wanted to say something, anything, but his throat was blocked. Blaine put his mug on the table, then pulled his engagement ring from his finger and laid it down.

Before Sam realised what was going on the other had left the room, and he was left staring at a white-gold ring that once had meant everything.

 

Tuesday, October 20th 2015, 11 days until Halloween

 

Wild rain was pouring from the dark sky. Luckily, Sam was sitting inside of a heated room and had other things to think of. Like, did he have to tell people the wedding was off for good or would Blaine do that? Because it had been Blaine's decision he might as well do it; Sam didn't know why he should.

"You know, I would have done the long distance thing, it was him who didn't want to. Who did the thing, you know, the thing", Sam explained.

"Break up", Chelsey suggested.

"No, that's not it. The ring release", Sam said.

"Also known as break up", Chelsey nodded.

"No, that's not it", Sam repeated.

"It really isn't", Ryder said. "They'll be back together in no time."

"But right know they are broken up, gosh, guys, get over it." Chelsey threw a bubble gum into her mouth and browsed through a text book.

"Should we prepare for the test now, or what?"

"We're not…" Sam waved his hand around. He couldn't even utter those words. "You know what. Just… ring release."

Ryder pitifully patted his shoulder. "We know."

"Marrying at this age is beyond stupid, anyway", Chelsey said. "You should be glad it's over. Ah, there you are!"

She greeted members of the study group who had just come to their table and settled down.

"It's just… I feel like this, here, is my place, this is what I should be doing", Sam said while Ryder nodded.

"I see the problem."

"You're such a good friend. Ryder, I think you might be my best friend. Ever."

Sam tried to hug his friend but Ryder leaned back.

"Let's focus on math for now, okay?"

Sam opened his binder. On the last page he had written notes on was a heart with 'Blam' in it. Sam quickly turned the page.

He had had plenty of time to think about what the ring release meant. No wedding, obviously. But also… were they also, you know… not together anymore? For real? No, that couldn't be. They still loved each other. They just weren't talking because they had a fight. A small, little fight, no big deal.

But when he later came home to the Anderson's, Blaine's mother wore a funny face.

"What's for dinner?" Sam asked after he had left his bag and shoes in the hallway.

"Sam, why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"Tell you what?"

"Blaine called", Mrs. Anderson said, as heavy as if someone had died.

"Oh, for me?"

"No… just to inform me and Christopher… well, you know."

Sam shook his head.

"The situation", Mrs. Anderson said.

"Mh."

"Your separation. He also wanted to know where you're going to live now. Oh, dear", she sighed. "What a difficult time."

Sam bit his lip, suddenly not hungry anymore.

"He said you should throw me out of the house?"

"Well, no, but to be fair it would be weird if you still lived here, wouldn't it?"

Sam shook his head again, this time as a try to calm down. It didn't work, though, and he stormed upstairs where he threw all of his things into his suitcase. Only after twenty raging minutes did he notice that tears were streaming down his face.

 

Saturday, October 31st 2015, Halloween

 

Blaine didn't plan on going out tonight but there was nothing to say against having one or two drinks with his friends, so he joined them in the living room section of the loft.

"I'd asked what you are dressed as but I fear the answer will be 'nothing' even when the looks of you scream 'Zombie'", Kurt said.

"Nice to see you, too."

"I didn't say that."

"Be gentle", Rachel warned Kurt while she put a glass in front of Blaine.

It wasn't a bad dream or a hallucination like Blaine had thought in the beginning. No, it was true and he still didn't know how or what or when or  _why_ but… Sebastian was here. As Kurt's official date.

He stared at his two friends who were the unlikeliest couple ever; watched them interact like normal people without being hostile to each other. He just couldn't get over it.

"To you two." He raised his glass. "To the funny stuff that comes out of life."

They frowned but went with it.

"Blaine, you deserve a toast as well", Rachel said. "You have made such a big sacrifice for your career. If you ask me that's how life is, you can't have both, it's either love or fame and believe me, fame is the better choice. It will never disappoint you."

"Except when it fades away and leaves your heart empty", Sebastian said.

"Some people are  _so_ pessimistic", Rachel sighed. "But then again, some people do have reason to, seeing that some people won't get that famous… having chosen love and all."

"You are the biggest drama queen from all of us and that's saying a lot." Kurt lifted his glass, too, and nodded at Blaine.

"Whatever life will bring you, let's hope it's the best. To all of us", he added.

"Also, it was Sam's choice", Blaine threw in before he drank his booze.

"What?" he then asked as he found that his friends hadn't drunk but stared at him.

"Did you just say his name… out loud?" Sebastian wondered.

"Oh God, where's my red marker?" Kurt pretended to look for something.

"Stop it! I'm not… it's not…" Blaine stuttered. He put his glass down. "Come on, we're adults. We can talk about things like that. Sam said stuff and then did the opposite because he didn't have the guts to tell me how things really were."

"Uhu, here we go", Kurt muttered. "Rachel, give me another drink."

"Get yourself one. Blaine, you have every right to be angry and mad, yet sad and heart broken."

Sebastian raised his hand and Rachel actually pointed at him from her armchair.

"You have a question?"

"Yes, since we're now talking about it, uhm, might I ask why, for heaven's sake,  _why?_ "

"I told you. We had different plans. What would you have done?"

"Uh, make Sam move here? Why did he even move away in the first place?"

Blaine shook his head. "His mission is in Lima."

Kurt rolled his eyes, then buried his face on Sebastian's shoulder while he mumbled something.

"Sam is not exactly a city boy and you know it", Rachel said. "Isn't it nice how everyone has found their place and is happy?"

"Everyone's happy, sure, I drink to that." Sebastian emptied his glass and got up to get the bottle that Rachel had put next to her seat.

"Everyone  _will_ be happy after the biggest trouble is over", Rachel said. "Believe me. Blaine, you should start seeing someone just for the sake of it. Have some fun, be casual..."

"I agree, you need to get laid", Sebastian said by sitting down and pouring drinks for everyone.

"I don't." Blaine rolled his eyes. "Not everything in life is about sex."

He got out his phone and opened facebook so that his friends would talk about something else. Two weeks without Sam but his phone was unusual quiet. He would have thought Sam would load him with texts, beg Blaine to try long distance or even tell him that he would quit college and come back to New York. Not that Blaine would have wanted that now that he knew Sam didn't like it.

But nothing. It even was Sam who had undone their relationship status at facebook and it had confirmed Blaine's nasty fear that this was how Sam wanted it. Long distance was hard and it wasn't fair to ask anyone to do it for three years.

Blaine put his phone away and drove a hand over his eye.

"Give me that", he said, leaning forward to get the bottle. Of course his friends cheered but he didn't care. Tonight he wouldn't care about anything and forgot everything with hopes it would numb the pain.

That was what alcohol was there for, anyway.

 

 


End file.
